Unforgettable
by Callison
Summary: What if Brooke and Clay met in New York before he ever met Sarah and before she met Julian? How would that alter seasons 5 through 9?
1. Chapter 1

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: __**This is my first OTH fanfiction. Please review and let me know what you think**__. Also, I should mention while I always liked Brooke and Julian, a part of me hated the fact that he had dated Peyton first. Can't Brooke have her own guy for once? And I've always liked Clay so I thought this would be a good chance to put them together and see what would happen. If you're a fan of Quinn or Julian, just so you know I don't plan to bash them in this story. Note: The opening scene would take place just after the season 6 finale. Only Brooke didn't go after Julian in that episode. The scenes in New York take place between seasons 4 and 5.  
_

Brooke took a long sigh as she set in her luxury SUV outside Nathan and Haley's home. Usually, she would be in a rush to get inside and hang out with her friends and adorable Godson. But, today wasn't feeling quite like herself. Ever since "she'd let Julian go" as her friends would say, she'd been keeping to herself. Or wallowing as Haley would say. Still, as excited as she was tonight to celebrate Nate finally making it to the NBA; she was a little bummed that she'd be ending the night alone…again. While she was so happy for her friends, a part of her couldn't help but be a little jealous. All of Naley's dreams were coming true and she was still in the same place she'd been for years now.

Despite all of that, she smoothed at her fabulous Brooke Davis original red cocktail dress and began to walk up the driveway. She could see cars parked all down the street letting her know that Haley had invited most of Tree Hill to celebrate Nate becoming a Charlotte Bobcat. She walked into the house and began to survey the scene. She saw Mouth, Millie and Skills all hanging out over by the TV, which was showing a basketball game. She was just about to walk into the living room when she heard Haley yell "Brooke!"

"Hey Tutorwife," she answered as she saw Haley coming toward with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm so glad you came," exclaimed Haley as she pulled Brooke into a hug.

"Well, it's not like I could miss a Naley celebration like this?" Brooke responded. "So where is the new star of the Bobcats?"

"He's around here somewhere. I swear it's like the whole town showed up for this," Haley answered as she glanced around the house looking for where he husband had wondered off to. And then she and Brooke saw him approaching.

"Hey Davis," she heard the guest of honor call as he came walking toward her. "Glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't have missed it, Nate," she answered. "Congratulations," she exclaimed while giving him a hug.

"Aunt Brooke!" she heard Jamie yell as he came running toward her and grabbed her legs. "Check out my new jersey," he said while showing her the Charlotte Bobcat jersey he'd slipped on over his clothes.

"That's great, Jamie," she said smiling at her cute Godson and playfully ruffling his hair.

"It has Daddy's name and everything," he grinned while twirling around to show her the back of it.

"Very cool", his aunt answered while leaning down to talk to Jamie. "Did your Dad get that for you?"

"I got it for him," a male voice stated.

Brooke didn't even have to look up. She knew that voice all too well. But she did look up to see those blue eyes she knew so well stare back at her. She managed to rasp out, "Clay?"

"Brooke Davis, looking good as always," Clay answered confidently while looking straight in her green eyes. He was surprisingly calm for a guy who hadn't seen her in years.

She wasn't. What was he doing here? Why now? How did he find her? All of these questions swirled in her head and yet she couldn't manage to get the words out of her mouth.

Fortunately, Nathan did. "Davis, how do you know my agent?" he asked as he and Haley anxiously awaited her response.

Oh, how could she answer this she thought as her mind began to drift back to the first time she'd ever met Clay Evans.

* * *

It was a crisp spring morning in New York City as she speedily walked through her neighborhood on the Upper West Side. It had been about a month since Lucas Scott had showed up to meet with a publisher and ended up sending her into a working frenzy. He had the nerve to make a pass at her mere hours from asking another woman—her best friend to be exact—to marry her. Fortunately, she had the good sense to turn him down. But, doing the right thing doesn't always leave you feeling the right way. While in her head she knew she'd made the right decision to turn him down, her heart was plagued with thoughts of what might have been. It was enough to drive her crazy. Fortunately, she'd managed to channel all her restless energy into her work, which made her mother very happy. Hey, at least someone was happy, she thought.

She was in the midst of launching a new lingerie line for Clothes Over Bros along with the new magazine. Both were set to debut in the coming months. Given all the hours she was putting in, the girl needed some caffeine to kick off her morning, so she was making a quick stop at her local coffee shop.

Brooke stepped in line behind a woman holding a toddler in her arms. The toddler was facing Brooke. Brooke couldn't help but stare at the cute little girl who she guessed would be about a year and half old. The little girl was adorable with her curly blond hair and blue eyes. Brooke couldn't help but feel her heart ache a little as she stared at the child. The longing for a child was a new feeling Brooke had been experiencing lately. Given she was in earlier twenties, she thought this was a bit odd to feeling this way already. She had years to start a family, right?

Just then the little cutie reached out and grabbed Brooke's hair. As Brooke winced, the mother turned around. She was a pretty twenty-something with blond hair and blue eyes that matched her daughter's. "Maddy, don't do that," she exclaimed as she gently pulled the toddler's hand away from Brooke's hair. "I'm so sorry."

"That's okay," Brooke replied genuinely.

"Oh, my God! You're Brooke Davis," the woman said as she got a complete look at her. "I love your clothes."

"Thank you," Brooke said smiling and noticing the woman was wearing one of her designs. "That top looks great on you."

"I can't believe it's really you," the woman smiled. She then turned and grabbed the guy in front of her, who Brooke guessed was the father of Maddy. "Clay, look who it is."

The blond man turned around. He was strikingly handsome with his broad shoulders and his boyish face. His eyes seem to shine as he looked Brooke up and down. Brooke got a strong suspicion that he was checking her out, which she felt was quite tacky for him to do right in front of his wife and child.

"Clay, it's Brooke Davis," the woman exclaimed seeing that the guy was not recognizing Brooke.

"Uh… right… your friend Brooke, long time no see" he struggled hoping that was right.

Brooke giggled at his bumbling effort.

The woman began shaking her head. "We're not friends, you dork. She's the fashion designer for Clothes Over Bros," the woman said shaking her head. She then turned to Brooke, "You'll have to excuse my brother, if you're not in Sports Illustrated, he probably doesn't know you."

"Hey, I read other stuff," he argued.

"Yeah, comic books," she countered. "You're a real renaissance man."

Brooke couldn't help but smile at their sibling banter—she also found herself liking the fact they were siblings and not a couple for some reason.

"Graphic novels," he grumbled but then quickly set his sights back on Brooke. He gave her a boyish grin and added, "Well, Ms. Davis, I apologize for not knowing you before, but I can promise you I'll never forget you now."

Despite the over-the-top line, Brooke couldn't help from smile at him. He was quite cute.

His sister however, proceeded to roll her eyes and lightly smack the back of his head. "Don't embarrass yourself, she said condescendingly. She then turned to Brooke. "I'm Molly Watson," she said extending her hand to Brooke. "This is my daughter, Maddy, and this Casanova wannabe is my brother, Clay Evans."

"So nice of you to travel few hundred miles to embarrass me in front of a beautiful woman, Molls," he added smirking while reaching out to shake Brooke's hand.

He couldn't help but hold her hand a little longer as if he would never get a chance to touch it again. Brooke gave him a slight smile as she stared into his eyes and then gently pulled her hand away.

"So, Ms. Davis, do you live in Manhattan?" he asked.

"Getting creepy," Molly whispered making Brooke giggle.

Clay sent his sister an annoyed look and then turned to Brooke, "The reason I ask is because I'm still fairly new to the City. Just started NYU this fall. And I'm playing tour guide for my sister and niece here while my brother-in-law is at his conference. But frankly, between us, I don't think there is a conference...the poor guy just needed a break from my bear of sister," he added with smirk. Molly quickly hit him in the arm making Brooke laugh. He continued, "Anyway, I thought if you knew the City well, you'd like to join us and share your expertise?"

Brooke had to appreciate his boldness. Since she gained a little fame, most "non-famous" guys, tended to be a little intimidated when they found out who she was. For a moment, she let herself get swept up in the idea of being able to take the day off and hang out with them. She was definitely envious of this closeness these two siblings shared and little Maddy was absolutely adorable. And a spring day touring New York City would be a lot of fun, but she had a Board Meeting and her mother would kill her if she missed it. No day would be worth that.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately I have a meeting I have to be at," Brooke said. "Thanks for the offer though," she added while grabbing her coffee from the barista. She felt bad as she saw the look of disappointment floated over his face.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you," Molly added.

"You too, Molly," Brooke said genuinely. "You guys enjoy, New York. And Clay, take your niece to the carousel in Central Park… I think she'll love it."

Clay smiled back at her. "Will do. I hope to see you around, Ms. Davis."

Brooke smiled back at him briefly and turned to walk away. Clay continued to stare at her as she walked away noticing the way her hips swayed quite sexily in the form fitting purple dress she was wearing. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Molly noticed his stare and quickly nudged him in order to get his attention as she handed him his cup of coffee. "I can't believe you hit on Brooke Davis. I swear I can't take you anywhere."

"What?" Clay added. "I think she liked me, didn't she Maddy?" he said while reaching down to play with the toddler's hands. Maddy proceeded to giggle. "See, Maddy knows what's up. If not for her meeting, she'd be hanging out with us."

"Yeah, I don't think there was a meeting…I think she was just turning you down gently," Molly responded.

"I think she just knew that there was no way we'd be able to hook up since you were here so she decided to pass. I mean why play if you know you can't score?" Clay added smugly while reaching out and picking up Maddy. He then looked at Maddy and lowered his voice "Your Mama is such a cock block."

"Hey, don't say that to my little girl!" Molly snapped. "Let's just go to Central Park."

As they proceeded to walk, Clay couldn't let it go. "So you really don't think she liked me?"

Molly could see he was a little hurt at the thought that a girl might have actually not liked him. "I'm sure she thought you were charming. I'm just saying Brooke Davis is on whole different level. She dates famous guys… in fact I think she might be dating Nick Lachey," she commented.

"So, what's he got that I don't?" Clay asked.

Molly just sent him a look that clearly said really. She'd never seen her brother this worked up. Usually, women were a dime a dozen for him. Brooke Davis had a really done a number on him.

"Okay, I'm gonna give you 98 reasons why I'm better than that dude," Clay stated making Molly roll her eyes and think this was going to be a long afternoon. "Number one…


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who reviewed or followed the first chapter. I so appreciate it! Reviews really help keep motivated to write so I hope you'll continue to do so. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

As Brooke made her way into the Clothes Over Bro's office, she couldn't help the small smile that adorned her face. Her assistant Millie took note of the change in her boss. Ever since Brooke had her meeting with Lucas Scott, Millie had noticed her boss was in somewhat of a funk. Her eyes had failed to shine and she seemed reluctant to do anything that didn't involve work. Thus, today's mood was a welcome change that Millie felt the need to comment on. "It's good to see you smiling Brooke. What's got you in such a good mood?"

Brooke played coy and simply responded, "It's a lovely day in New York, Millie what's not to be happy about?"

"Come on, Brooke, give me something here," Millie moaned not wanting to let her off the hook.

"Well, I ran into this lovely woman who told me she liked my designs," Brooke replied.

"You get that all the time," Millie countered not buying it. "There must be something else."

Brooke hesitated but then added, "Well, she and her brother were quite funny."

So there was a guy involved, Millie thought. She still didn't want to press too much or Brooke might shut down so she simply asked, "What were their names?"

"Molly and Clay," Brooke answered. "And Molly's daughter, Maddy, was sooo cute."

"That's nice," Millie added. Then she decided to ask, "Was Clay cute?"

He was a hot as Hell, Brooke thought. But, instead she just said "I guess so."

Millie smiled to herself. Clay must have left quite an impression on Brooke. Though, they had only known each other about a year, Millie had come to learn Brooke was quite open about the things that didn't matter to her. Whenever she had a new conquest, she would give Millie all the dirty details right down to condom size. However, when it came to the things that mattered most to her, Brooke kept her thoughts close to the vest.

"They asked me to go sightseeing with them today," Brooke mentioned. "That would have been fun to just goof off in the city with random people."

"Why didn't you go?" Millie wondered. "You've been working like crazy for the last few months. You deserve a break."

Brooke sighed, "Because we have that board meeting this afternoon. You know how pissed Victoria would be if I wasn't there. Speaking of, I need to go finalize a few things before the meeting," Brooke mentioned as she proceeded to walk into her office.

Millie watched her walk away with a small frown on her face. While the magazines would rave about the fabulous life Brooke Davis led, she saw firsthand the loneliness the girl had to endure. Millie reached into her desk to pull out her "Some Day List". It was a list of items Brooke mentioned she wanted to do but never got around to. Millie had been keeping track of these things secretly in hopes that she could give it to Brooke one day and watch her complete it. Today, she decided to add one more thing to the list "spend a day goofing off with Clay."

* * *

It had been a week since Clay had met Brooke and he couldn't get her out of his head. She was the sexist woman he'd ever laid eyes. He loved every curve on her body. But there was more to it than that. He'd googled her multiple times trying to find out everything he could about her. Though, he didn't know much about fashion he couldn't help but admire her talent. And the success of her company clearly proved she was far more than just a pretty face.

As he continued to read every article he could about her or her company, he hoped to find something that would give him a reason to "accidentally" run into her again. He knew it had to be legit or he would come off like some creepy stalker. And according to the tabloids, Brooke Davis had had her share of men, thus making it clear to him that a measly college student like him would need to step up his game if he hoped to stand a chance.

Frustrated with his lack of inspiration, he leaned back in his desk chair and let his eyes wonder around his dorm room. He zoned in on his lucky baseball and proceeded to pick it up and begin tossing it up and down. It was then inspiration hit. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face; he'd just come up with the perfect plan.

* * *

"That's your plan… seriously?" Millie exclaimed over the phone to Clay. "You really think that will work?"

Clay had called Clothes Over Bro's trying to get a meeting scheduled with Brooke. Normally, Millie would have cut him off early in the conversation but when she found out he was the guy Brooke had spoke about before…she decided to hear him out. After all if this guy managed to get a smile out of Brooke, he deserved a chance. Clay had been elated when he found out that Brooke had mentioned him to Millie, however good feelings were diminished after hearing Millie question the merit his plan.

"You don't think she'll go for it?" Clay asked disheartened. He was so enamored with his perfect plan he had not prepared himself for the fact that it might not work.

"Well, for starters, these decisions are usually made by Victoria Davis not Brooke," Millie explained. "And you're nowhere near ready for her."

"Davis? Any relation to Brooke?" he wondered.

"Her mother. But don't tell her I told you that. They don't like to talk about it," Millie warned.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well, Victoria hates anything that makes her seem old," Millie elaborated. "And, well if your Mom was like Darth Vader, you probably wouldn't want everyone to know either."

"So, they don't get along?" he asked.

"No… well yes, they worked together fine, but Victoria can be mean," Millie stuttered. "Look, I can't really get into the whole Davis Family drama. What I need to know is what your intentions are Mr. Evans?"

"My intentions?" Clay smirked. "Well, gee, Mrs. Brady, I thought I'd take Marsha to the diner where we could share a milkshake with two straws."

"Okay, Jackass, if you want me to help you, you better keep the sarcasm in check," Millie hit back. "Now, what I mean is if you're just doing this because you want to bang Brooke Davis then you need to get lost. If you're serious, then maybe I will help you."

Clay had to admire how protective she was of her friend. "Millie, I'll be honest with you, because you seem like a great person and frankly I'm not a great liar, I'm interested in Brooke. Though I only talked to her for a few minutes, I can't get her out of my head. That's why I racked my brain to come up with some way that I'd get to see her again. And this is it. But, what you also have to know is that I'm also a very ambitious guy. I would never propose a business deal that I wasn't committed to making work. My hope is that this deal benefits all of us and along the way I get to spend more time getting to know a woman who has consumed my thoughts."

Millie had to appreciate his honesty. "Okay, I'll help you, but if you hurt her in any way, I will unleash the wrath of Victoria Davis on you."

"Thank you, Millie. I really appreciate it," he said sincerely.

"Okay, first off all you need to be honest with me," she stated. "You don't really work for 360 Sports Agency do you?"

"Yes, I do," he said emphatically.

Millie wasn't buying it though. "Really? Then why doesn't your office number show up on our phone? And before you say it's your cell number, I know this is not a New York number. And I know that you're student at NYU according to Brooke."

"Okay, okay," Clay stammered. "I do work for the agency, but I may have oversold my position. I'm an intern."

"Strike one," Millie grumbled. "Look first of all, Victoria can never know that. So get yourself a business card that looks legit. And you'll need to wear a suit to the meeting. Do you have a suit?"

"Of course," Clay scoffed.

"I mean a real suit like Hugo Boss, Armani," Millie snapped. "Some JC Penny special won't cut it with Victoria—she's as superficial as they come."

"Okay, I'll get a new suit," he conceded. He had no idea how he would afford a designer suit but he wasn't going to give up now.

"Alright, you get those things worked out and I'll get a meeting set up," Millie said. "I'll be in touch with more details."

"Thanks again Millie," he replied.

* * *

Millie paced back and forth across the Clothes Over Bro's hallway. Today was D-Day. Clay would be making his presentation to Brooke and Victoria in just a little while. Oddly enough, she wasn't nervous about that. She knew Clay had a great presentation and that he was as prepared as he could be. He'd really impressed her with his knowledge of the industry and it had become clear quite early on how dedicated he was to making this work. However, Millie was worried about how Brooke was going to react to her keeping this thing a secret from her. It was the first time Millie had ever done that, but she felt it was for Brooke's own good. At least that's what she kept telling herself to try to get the knots to come out of her stomach. She had arranged for Brooke to be there earlier than Victoria that way she and Clay could give Brooke some advanced warning…but not enough time for Brooke to back out.

"Hey Millie," Brooke greeted as she came walking into the office.

"Oh, hey Brooke," Millie answered.

"So remind me again what this meeting is about?" Brooke asked.

"Well, it's funny that you mention that," Millie struggled.

Brooke gave her a confused looked. And was just ask what was going on when she heard a male voice call out.

"Hey Millie, Brooke," Clay greeted warmly. He was decked out in a gray Hugo Boss suit making him look incredibly handsome.

"Clay?" Brooke was shocked to see him in her office. "What are you doing here?"

"So you didn't forget about me," he stated proudly. However, he could see from her bewildered look that she had no idea why he was there. Apparently, Millie hadn't had a chance to explain the situation to Brooke yet.

"Well, I'm your 10-a- clock meeting," he explained. "I have a business proposal for you."

"What you mean a business proposal? Millie, why didn't you tell me about this?" Brooke complained.

"I'm sorry Brooke, I should have told you. But he has a good idea, you should hear him out," Millie pleaded. Just as Clay was about to elaborate, Millie received a text informing her that Victoria had arrived early.

"On second thought, we don't have time for that. Victoria is in the conference room. Brooke, I will explain more later, but for now, you need to pretend like you've never met Clay otherwise Victoria will not go for this," Millie instructed. Victoria had a habit of dismissing any ideas that came from Brooke's friends. Even though Brooke didn't really know Clay, if she'd met him first, Victoria would be less likely to be supportive of the idea.

"What the Hell, Millie!" Brooke exclaimed.

Clay decided it was time to take over and said gently. "Brooke, don't get mad at Millie she is just trying to help me out. I know you're confused and I promise to give you all the details later. But for now, if you would just go with it, I'd really appreciate it."

Despite her skepticism, Brooke decided to go along with is; in part, because she trusted Millie's judgment and also because she was anxious to hear what he had up his sleeve. "Okay."

Clay's smile was big enough to span the Brooklyn Bridge. "Great!" he exclaimed. "I promise when I get in there I'll be completely professional. But before we go in, I just want to say you look insanely beautiful today," he said with a smile. And with that he headed into the conference room leaving a blushing Brooke behind.

She quickly caught up to him as he was greeting her Mother.

"Clay Evans," he said confidently while holding his hand for Victoria to shake.

"Victoria Davis," she replied shaking his hand. "You look too young to be a sports agent."

That's because he's not one, Brooke thought. He's a college student or at least that's what he told me before. Brooke wasn't sure if he'd been lying before or if he was now. However, she wasn't going to call him out since she's promised to just go along with it.

Clay smoothly replied, "The same could be said for you Ms. Davis. You look a little young to be a CEO."

Victoria gave him a slight smile and then commented, "Let's get started shall we."

Brooke could help but smirk at the exchange. Clay had obviously done his homework. If Victoria had one weakness it was compliments that made her feel young.

"Okay, I'm going to keep this short because I know you've got much more important things to do today than listen to me," he stated.

Millie coached him well, Brooke thought. Victoria hated it when people took more of her time than needed as did she for that matter.

"First let me say you're work with this company has been remarkable. The 10-percent growth rate in your quarterly earnings this past year is well above what your competitors have been experiencing. However, there's one area where you've been lagging behind the competition—it's with your sales to male consumers," Clay informed. "Now, I know you may be thinking well that's because you don't make men's clothes. That's true. However, you're getting ready to launch a new lingerie line. And as you know, a major portion of that market is men buying lingerie for the women in their lives. Victoria's Secret is dominating this market. Why are they dominating?"

Victoria answered dismissively, "Because men are too embarrassed to buy lingerie in a store so they prefer the catalog, which is why we're going to launch a magazine soon. Yes, Mr. Evans we've thought about this do you have anything new to add?"

Clay was not rattled; Millie had prepared him for this. "And that's a great idea. But consumer habits are tough to break and men are much more confined to tradition when it comes to their consumer habits. Thus, it will take longer for your magazine to have an impact unless, you shake up the market. You need to make it cool for men to buy lingerie for their girlfriends in the store or a magazine. You need to make it manly. How do you do that? You need to spokesperson that they admire that tells them that this cool. You need Derek Jeter. "

"Derek Jeter, the Yankee?" Brooke questioned.

"Exactly, he's the most admired man in New York," Clay told them. "He hits home runs and he dates the most beautiful women in the world, present company excluded. Every guy wants to be him. If Derek Jeter says it's cool to buy lingerie at your shop, men will be flocking to your stores."

"This is not a bad idea, but with the new line I'm not sure if we'd be able to afford an endorsement deal with Jeter," Victoria said.

"I'm prepared to wave my agency's 10 percent, which should make it affordable for you, " he responded.

"Why would you do that?" Victoria wondered.

"Because, Jeter is not currently a client of our agency; he's been shopping for a new agency. He's debating between my agency and his current one. Both agencies are offering the same contract—the difference is going to come down to the endorsement deals. If we have the better endorsement package, he will sign with us. And getting Jeter would be a huge win for our agency. I think this endorsement deal will tip him in our favor."

"What makes you think Jeter would want to be a spokesperson for us?" Brooke asked.

"What guy wouldn't want to do commercials surrounded by models in lingerie," Clay smirked.

Brooke couldn't help but smile back. She had to admit that this sounded like a great idea. And she could see from her mother's expression that she thought it was too. Victoria had told him that they would talk it over and get back to him, but Brooke knew in "Victoria speak" that meant they were in. Victoria then left the room leaving Brooke and Clay alone.

"So that was quite impressive," Brooke told him.

With a confident smile, he replied, "Thanks, I thought the presentation went well too."

Brooke quirked her eyebrow and added, "No, I meant your impersonation of a sports agent."

"What makes you think I'm not an agent?" he wondered.

"Well, for starters, you told me you went to NYU," she explained. "And two, if you really were a sports agent you probably wouldn't of had to buy a new suit for this meeting."

Clay didn't like her smugness and didn't want to lose the upper hand, "This isn't new. I've had this suit."

"Really?" she questioned as she began to make her way closer to him. She grabbed his arm and reached under the cuff of his sleeve to pull out the attached tag. "You always keep the tags on the suits you've had for a while," she said with a smile that revealed her dimples.

Clay shook his head. He was both impressed with her skills but a little embarrassed as well. He didn't have the money for a Hugo Boss suit so he'd bought it with plans of returning it. That's why he'd kept the tags on it. "I guess nothing gets by you," he conceded.

"So are you doing this to try to get a job at the sports agency?" she asked.

"No, I have to graduate first. I'm an intern at the agency. This will probably help my résumé but that's not why I did this," he told her.

"So why did you?" she wondered.

Clay paused for a while and stared into her eyes. He debated about whether to play it cool or to tell her the truth. Finally, he decided not to lie and said quietly, "Because I wanted to see you again."

"Oh," she stuttered as silence fell over them. She was a little shocked by his vulnerability and was uncertain of how to respond. But then in typical Brooke Davis fashion, she responded boldly, "So you're doing all this to get laid?"

Clay gulped. It was the first time all day he'd been completely thrown off his game. Her directness had floored him. Finally, he managed to stumble out, "No, it's not like that. This is a legitimate business deal."

"Damn, that's too bad, because I think we couldn't have had some fun together," Brooke said seductively as she leaned into his body and let her hand slide from his shoulder down to his wrist.

Clay's mouth hung open in shock until he finally managed to stammer, "Well, I'd be more than happy to consider your terms."

"Nope, you were right Jerry Maguire; this is a business deal. And I never mix business with pleasure," she said while walking out of the room with her hips swaying ever so seductively

Despite her outright rejection, Clay couldn't help but smile. His initial impression had been right. Brooke Davis was sure something—what exactly—he still wasn't sure. But he was damn sure going to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or followed this story. It means a lot to me! Hope you like this chapter!**

"Come onnnnn," Clay whined to Brooke as she sat sketching away in her office. Millie couldn't help smirking at them as she peaked around her laptop to watch them.

The three of them had got to know each other pretty well over the last few months while working on the Jeter marketing campaign. Most of their interaction to this point had been through working together. They'd shared an occasional drink after work—or sometimes while working. But today, Clay was begging Brooke to spend a night out on the town with him just for fun. And Brooke was stubbornly refusing saying she had too much work to do. Millie couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Clay and Brooke were both so persistent that seeing them in a standoff with one another was quite amusing.

"You're always working. You're young and hot, Brooke, you need to get out and share it with the world," Clay insisted as he took a paperweight off her desk and tossed in the air.

"I told you that I can't. I've got a lot of work to do," Brooke argued and then snatched the paperweight out of the air and put it back in its place. "Besides, I do get out."

"Yes, you can. You're ahead of schedule on the new line and you don't have any events this weekend," he smirked knowing he had her on that point.

Brooke shot Millie a glare realizing that she'd obviously given that information to help Clay. Millie just shrugged unfazed by the look. She knew Brooke wasn't really mad and frankly Millie agreed with him that Brooke needed to get out and have some fun. The poor girl seemed chained to her desk.

"Clay…" Brooke sighed. "Look, you've become a good friend and I don't think us going out on a date right now is a great idea."

Clay couldn't help his face from lighting up when she said that. Granted he wanted more from friendship from her but it was still nice to hear her acknowledge that she liked him in some way.

"It's not a date," he said, which was met with her raising her eyebrow in skepticism. "Really."

"I just want to hang out with you in a non-work setting… as friends," he added less convincingly. "Besides, Millie is coming too."

"You're going?" Brooke asked while looking at Millie skeptically.

Millie's head popped up from her laptop clearly surprised by what he just said. She hadn't agreed to go out with them. But then, she saw Clay giving her a please help me out look.

"Uh…yeah," Millie answered causing Clay to smile at her.

"See Davis, Millie knows how to seize the day," he smirked. "But, I guess some people are too afraid to truly have a good time."

"Okay, first of all—I'm the queen of having a good time," Brooke snapped. "And I practically invented this peer pressure ploy that you're attempting."

"Well then you should know I'm not going to stop until you say yes. So, I ask would the Duchess of Good Times like to grace us with her presence?" he asked.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Okay, I will see you two ladies at Brooke's place around 7 tomorrow night. Dress casual and come with an open mind," he ordered as he made his out the door.

"Why did you agree to this?" Brooke asked Millie.

"Oh, come on Brooke, it's Clay. You know it will be fun," Millie explained. "You've been working nonstop. You deserve a night out being carefree."

Brooke had to admit it was nice to have people who cared about her. Usually, when her Mom showed concern she felt it had more to do with the fact that Victoria feared it might impact Brooke's work rather than her actual wellbeing.

"Do you have any idea what we're doing?" she asked.

"No, but that's part of the fun right?" Millie answered. "Come on Brooke, I know you like surprises."

"Yeah, I guess," Brooke agreed with little enthusiasm. But, Millie knew Brooke had to be looking forward to it she just didn't want to get her hopes up.

* * *

Saturday night had arrived and Brooke was finishing up getting ready. She had finalized her makeup now they only thing left was to decide on an outfit. Clay had said casual but she had no idea what that meant in boy speak. And she wasn't going to ask Clay what they were doing because she knew he'd mock her for being a control freak and tease her about not being able to just go with the flow.

Since it was a warm summer night, she finally just decided on a nice purple tank top and jeans.

Right at 7 her intercom sounded letting her know she had a visitor. She buzzed Clay in and quickly fastened her earrings to finish up her ensemble.

"Hey Davis," Clay greeted. While he only wore a simple gray t-shirts, jeans and flip-flops, Brooke had to admit he looked really handsome.

"Evans," she answered.

"Wow, you look great," he as he looked her in the eyes. And then fearing that he might scare her off if it sounded like a date, he quickly added "and I mean that purely as a friend."

Brooke had to smile at antics. She was tempted to mock him, but then she decided that it was nice he was worried about her comfort level so she just said, "Thanks…buddy."

"So where's Mills?" he asked.

Brooke wondered when he and Millie had gotten so close that he had a nickname for her. But that was short lived as she realized she didn't have an answer for him. "I don't know. It's not like her to be late," she worried.

She went to grab her phone and it was then she noticed she'd turned the sound off and she had a text message from Millie. "Millie's sick", she announced.

"Is she okay? Should we go check on her?" he asked.

Brooke wondered for a moment if this had all been part of his and Millie's plan to get them alone, but she could tell by the tone of his voice he was generally worried about Millie.

"She says she has food poisoning and she'll be okay by tomorrow," Brooke read.

"Poor girl," he said and Brooke nodded. "So do you still want to go?" he asked.

"Sure, why not," Brooke shrugged.

His face lit up at her response and Brooke couldn't help but think that that grin was going to get her in trouble.

"Awesome," he smiled as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. That's when Brooke noticed he had a backpack.

"What's with the bag?" Brooke asked.

"Well one thing you should know about me, Davis, is that I love events that have themes. And tonight's night out has a theme," he stated enthusiastically. "And this bag has everything we'll need to complete it."

His enthusiasm was contagious and Brooke couldn't help but smile. "So, what's the theme?" she wondered.

"College," he answered.

"College?" she questioned.

"Well, you see Davis most of us are not able to go from high school to massively successful in just a couple years like you. Most of us spend time in college first," he explained. "And I realized that you've never had some of the clichéd college experiences and so tonight you're going to be an honorary member of NYU. Think you can handle it?" he challenged.

"You're on Evans," she countered intrigued by where this would lead.

"Great, let's go," he said opening the door for her on the way out.

The first place went was a small pizza place. "I thought we start with dinner," Clay explained. "And beer and pizza is a staple of college." They found a cozy corner booth and sat down.

"I like this place," Brooke stated while eating a slice of pepperoni. She missed quaint, informal places like this—it reminded her a bit of Karen's Café.

"That's what I like about you Davis, you can be at the Rainbow Room one night and a cheap pizza parlor the next night—and you always look like you belong," he said as he sipped his beer. Brooke smiled at his observation for only knowing her a short while it seemed Clay was able to pick up things faster than others.

Over the past few months, she and Clay had shared stories of their conquests and so she knew he had a way with women. However, it was different for her to see his charm directed at her. Normally, if she were on a date she would have given a sexy response. But, she really wanted to keep this on a friendship level so instead she just smiled.

Conversation flowed freely and easily between the two over dinner and they both enjoyed the comfort of it.

"Well, are you ready for our next stop?" he wondered after they'd finished their meal.

"Absolutely," she replied.

"First, I'm going to need you to put something on," he stated as he began rummaging through the bag.

Brooke began to worry about what he had in mind; she was relieved to see it was just an NYU baseball cap.

"So, our next step is a frat party and I figured it would be more fun if people didn't recognize you," he explained. "You can be a regular college girl and not have to worry about autographs or pictures of you ending up in the tabloids."

Brooke was a little skeptical that the baseball cap would make her unrecognizable but was impressed with his thoughtfulness. Most people didn't realize that fame could be a bit of burden from time to time. She had a little anxiety that if it didn't work she could end up in the press for crashing a frat party and she'd never hear the end of it from her mother. And yet, she found herself still wanting to go. She had longed for a night to be a carefree twenty-something and this was her opportunity. So, she quickly put her hair up in a ponytail and put on the hat. Luckily it was purple and matched her outfit quite well.

Clay couldn't help but check her out. He was always a sucker for a girl in a baseball cap. And Brooke Davis was no exception. He was pulled out of his thoughts about how sexy she looked when Brooke asked him if he was ready to leave.

"Yeah," he stuttered.

They made their way into the frat house and observed the scene for a bit. There was a fairly large crowd of people in the house. A few kegs were scattered throughout and a student band was playing out in the backyard. There were guys in the corner doing a beer bong and girls doing jello shots. And lots of people were outside grinding to the music. Clay led Brooke over to a keg and got them both a drink.

"Flat beer in red plastic cups, feel like a college student yet, Davis?" he said while clicking his cup to hers.

"Please, I did this in high school," she taunted.

"Alright, well I'm glad you're no rookie because it's our turn," he said while grabbing her hand and leading her into another room.

"Our turn for what?" she wondered. Before he could answer a large frat guy hollered at Clay.

"Hey Evans, get your ass in here," yelled a guy who looked like a basketball player.

"Jackson, how's it going man?" Clay greeted while giving him the handshake/hug.

"Well, obviously not as good as you, Jackson stated as he caught a look at Brooke. "Hey shorty, you realize that you're far too hot to be with him right," he teased.

"Oh, I know. I'm just big on charity," Brooke smirked causing both boys to laugh.

"Well, Mother Teresa over here actually goes by Brooke. Brooke, this is Corey Jackson," Clay said introducing them.

Brooke and Corey shook hands. "Corey is a small forward for the NYU basketball team," Clay mentioned to Brooke.

"Yeah, and Evans here is gonna be my agent when the NBA comes calling," Corey explained to Brooke. "Now, are you guys ready?" he asked while motioning to the beer pong table.

"Yep," Clay answered while taking some of the ping-pong balls.

"Okay, you guys are up against me and Deek," Corey said motioning towards another big guy also wearing Greek letters.

Despite Brooke's vast party experience, she'd never taken a turn at the beer pong table. Clay quickly explained the rules. Basically, their goal was to toss the ping pong balls into the other teams' cups. If a ping-pong ball lands in one of your cups, you have to drink all of the beer in it. The team that hits all the other teams cups first wins.

"Think you can handle this?" Clay asked.

"Please, I was born ready," Brooke responded.

Turns out she and Clay made quite a pair. He was by far the best player at the table but Brooke held her own. And all of the guys were impressed with her alcohol tolerance. So, she and Clay managed to beat the two basketball stars.

"Damn Davis, you've got some game," Clay complimented as he high-fived her.

"Hey bro, what are you doing bringing in a ringer?" Corey teased.

"What can I say boys, I can do everything you can do… better… and in heels," she smirked.

"Shorty's got spunk, I like this girl, Evans," Corey chuckled.

"Me too," Clay said quietly while looking Brooke in the eyes. Realizing that he might be in danger of scaring her off, Clay quickly excused himself to the restroom leaving Brooke with the guys.

"Your boyfriend's got some balls to bring you hear with all these players," Corey mentioned to Brooke.

"Oh, Clay and I aren't together," Brooke responded causing Corey to look at her with some skepticism. To him, the chemistry between the two was so obvious. But not wanting to pry he simply joked, "well then, I'm not sure if I mentioned but, I'm single."

Brooke laughed. She couldn't help but like this guy.

"No, I'm just kidding I couldn't do that to my boy even if you're not together," he explained.

Brooke decided to switch the topic from her and Clay and asked, "so how did you guys meet?"

Corey told her that Clay had tutored a friend of Corey's in economics without asking for anything in return. Soon after, Clay was helping Corey as well in the class. "I couldn't believe this guy would just help people without asking for anything in return," Corey said. "I knew that was a guy I could trust. And it's been so nice having his advice for my future. I know lots of guys who've gotten screwed over by agents. I'm so lucky I don't have to worry about that with Evans. Why else do you think we would let that guy drink here for free? He's the only guy that's not a frat brother to get free drinks."

Brooke smiled at Corey's story. She was really glad she'd met Clay. Since she'd been in New York, Millie was the only genuinely good person she'd gotten to know. And that was through work. It was nice to have someone who was outside of the industry.

As Clay made his way back to Brooke, he couldn't help but noticed that a small crowd of guys huddled around her. The hat she was wearing might have prevented some of the NYU fashion students from recognizing her but it didn't hide the fact that she was a beautiful woman. This was a just another reminder to Clay that Brooke could have whomever she wanted and she might never want him. Hell, he was pretty sure that even Derek Jeter had hit on her. He wondered how that had gone; Jeter didn't strike out much on or off the field. He quickly shook those thoughts out of head and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Hey Brooke, you ready to head to our next stop," Clay said getting her attention.

Brooke smiled at him and quickly said goodbye to all her admirers. Soon it was just the two of them walking down the street.

"I heard a lot a nice things about you in there," Brooke mentioned.

"You should of… I don't pay those guys for nothing," Clay joked.

Brooke smiled at him. She was beginning to learn that while Clay often joked about how awesome he was, when you gave him an actual compliment he tended to get uncomfortable and shrug it off with a joke.

"So, where is our next stop?" she asked.

"Well, another part of college is to have some cultural experiences. And, there's a student film showing in a few minutes. I thought we could go check it out. "What do you say?"

"Sure, why not," she answered truly enjoying herself for the first time in a long-time.

While the film was a bit weird, the two of them managed to have fun by bantering with each other throughout it. As they left the film, they took their time just walking the streets of New York and enjoying each others company.

Between the fact that it was after midnight and given all the alcohol they'd consumed, Brooke felt herself yawn and Clay noticed.

"You can't quit on me now, Davis," he said. "But don't worry our next activity will wake you up."

* * *

"No way," Brooke argued.

"Come on, everybody does something crazy in college," Clay encouraged.

"I've already done this," Brooke insisted.

"You've done it here?" he asked.

"Well, no," she admitted.

"See, then this is something we can both do together for the first time," he insisted.

"Don't people get arrested for skinny dipping in here?" she asked. They were in Washington Square Park staring at the fountain.

"Probably," he admitted. "That's why we're not going to get caught."

"Oh, sure that's what they all say," she countered.

"Come on Brooke, where's your sense of adventure," Clay whined. "I know you were a bit of risk taker growing up. Let's have some fun. I promise I won't peak."

If there was one thing that Brooke hated more than anything it was backing away from a challenge, so she found herself somewhat reluctantly agreeing. However, she was not going to go first. "Take it off, Evans," she commanded.

He chuckled and teased her about always knowing she wanted to see him naked while proceeding to take off his shirt and jeans. He left his boxer shorts on for now. Brooke took a minute to admire is chest. He was quite ripped and had nice broad shoulders. As he walked closer to fountain, he then pulled off his boxers and Brooke caught a glimpse of his ass. She admit to it was nice and round. Her previous boyfriends all had what you might call "flapjack cakes", Clay had pure "cupcakes."

She watched as he shivered a bit acknowledging that the water was cold.

"Come on, Davis. We don't have all day," he hollered.

Brooke squirmed out of her jeans and made quick work of her tank top. She decided to keep her undergarments on until she got in the fountain

"Woah," Clay stuttered as he caught a glimpse of her in her bra and underwear. She was way better than he'd imagined with her curves in all the right places.

"I thought you weren't going to look," Brooke smirked.

"I lied," he grinned. "Besides, I saw you checking me out."

"I did not," she lied causing him to laugh and splash her as she made her way in the fountain.

She started splashing him back causing them both to laugh like children. It was then that Clay noticed a man with a flashlight off in the distance. "Shit," he snapped. "Cop! Davis, we gotta go."

They both jumped out of the water and grabbed their clothes. Clay ran towards the trees still wearing no pants. He had thrown his shirt over his head. Brooke still wearing only her undergarments followed him over to some trees in the park. They made quick work of getting their clothes on and then Clay scouted around to make sure the coast was clear. Once they both got their clothes on, Clay scouted around and determined the coast was clear. Soon, they were back walking on the street laughing their asses off.

"I was so scared for a minute, I could just picture the lecture I'd get from Bitchtoria," Brooke admitted.

"You're telling me," Clay laughed. "Imagine my fear…I'm too pretty for prison."

"I guess now we can cross streaking off of the list too," Brooke joked referring to their time running half naked to the trees.

"Speaking of the list, we have one thing left," he announced. "Let's head back to your place."

Brooke's eyes bugged out thinking that he wanted to sleep with her.

"Relax," Clay said interrupted her thoughts. "It's not that."

On the way, Clay stopped and bought a bottle of vodka. As they arrived at her place, Clay told her to go grab a couple of glasses and meet him on the roof of her apartment. When she arrived up top, she saw he had a blanket spread out and a small radio turned on. She guessed he'd had those in his backpack.

"Hey, good you got the glasses," he mentioned. "Hell of a view you have here Davis," he motioned to the skyline.

Brooke took a moment to take it all in. The truth was she didn't allow herself to stop and stare at the view much and it was like she was seeing it for the first time. "Yeah, it is," she admitted.

"So, staying up late drinking and talking about what all you want out of life is another part of college," he explained while pouring her a drink. "So, what do you say?"

"Let's do it," she said.

At first, they started off with general small talk. She learned about his love of comic books, he learned about her love of 80s movies. But then as the alcohol took over they started getting more and more intimate.

"Craziest place you've ever had sex?" Clay asked.

"On a basketball court," she answered. Seeing his look of surprise, she added, "I had a thing for basketball players in high school."

"Uh huh," Clay stuttered.

"So, tell me something I don't know about you?" Brooked asked him as they were sprawled out on the blanket he had brought the nearly half empty bottle of vodka nearby.

"I'm amazing in bed; women are always begging for a repeat performances," he grinned. "It's exhausting."

"Claaaaaaayyyy," she whined. "Tell me something real."

"Okay," he conceded while proceeding to think about what he wanted to say.

"My Dad was an alcoholic," he admitted. "When I was 10-years-old, he was driving home drunk and ending up crashing into a telephone poll and killing himself."

"Oh Clay, I'm so sorry," Brooke soothed while rubbing his arm. "That had to be tough on you."

"Yeah," he whispered. "People always wondered why we didn't try to get him help. But we did try… it just didn't work. And people don't get the kind of pain you feel wondering if you could of tried harder."

"Clay, I'm sure you guys did all you could," Brooke soothed. "You are the most persistent person I've ever met."

"Yeah," he whispered without making eye contact.

Brooke could sense he was feeling vulnerable and not wanting to talk about it anymore so she changed the subject. "So, it's only fair you were honest with me, what would you like to ask me?"

Clay thought for a little bit and then quickly asked, "Did you hook up with Derek Jeter?"

"Of all the things you could ask me that's what you want to know?" Brooke asked. Clay just nodded enthusiastically like a little boy.

"No," she answered easily. "He did hit on me but, I politely declined."

"Why?" he wondered.

"Because, I told you, I don't like to mix business with pleasure." And then smirking she added, "besides I hear sleeping with Jeter gets you a souvenir that shows up every three to six months."

Clay couldn't help but chuckle at her response partly due to her funny comment and part out of relief that he wouldn't have to compete with the Yankee. "Fair enough," he added.

"So, what's something you want out of life?" Brooke asked

"I want a sail boat," Clay answered. "My Dad used to have this old boat that needed to be restored. We would work on it together from time to time. But, he never finished it. He never finished things… A few years after he died, I took sailing lessons and fell in love with it. One day I want to finish the boat the my Dad started and have it to sail out on the sea and watch the sunset."

"My Dad had a motorboat," Brooke mentioned. "I loved going out on it."

"Yeah, it's so peaceful being out on the sea," he agreed. "So, what about you Davis? What's something you want more than anything?"

Brooke took another sip of vodka to give her some courage, and then whispered, "I want a family…someday. I want to have kids."

Clay smiled at her. "You'll be a great Mom, Brooke."

"Really?" she doubted. "Because my dream is to create the family I didn't have—one full of love and one that spends lots of time together. But sometimes I worry that if I have kids I'll just turn into my Mom."

"Not possible," he argued. "Brooke, look at me," he told her getting her to make eye contact. "You will never be your mother." "I'm a salesman. I know how to read people and you will be a great Mom. I've seen the way you take care of your friends and how unselfish you can be. When you have kids, they will be so damn lucky that you're their Mom."

Brooke was so moved by his words. They meant so much to her because she knew he was being honest. She felt herself getting lost in his dark blue eyes. How did she not notice how gorgeous his eyes were before now. A part of her wanted to just lean in a little further and kiss him. Clay felt his hopes begin to soar thinking she was going to kiss him. But then fear crept in, and instead Brooke said, "I'm so glad I met you. You're the first person in New York I know who doesn't work for me or doesn't want something from me. I'm so glad we're **friends."**

And that's when he realized that what she really needed right now was a friend. Sure, he knew she was sleeping around. But those guys only got one night. He didn't want to be a one and done. If he had to hang out on the bench for a while, he was willing to do it because Brooke Davis was worth it.

"Me too," he lied.

And with that the romantic moment was over and they both decided to call it a night. Clay walked her back down to her apartment.

As they stood outside her apartment door, Clay told her, "You're a hell of a lot fun Davis. Thanks for coming out tonight," he said while leaning in to give her a hug.

It was so good being able to hold her. He couldn't help but think about how good her breasts felt against his chest and why did she have to smell so damn good he wondered.

Brooke loved being held by Clay. Her body seemed to mold into his perfectly. She was reluctant to pull away from him, but eventually did.

"Thanks for doing this, Clay. This is the most fun I've had in forever. I'll never forget this night," she told him.

"Me neither," he agreed.

And they never did.

**Please take some time to review. It would really mean a lot to me**.


	4. Chapter 4

As he walked down the street, Clay couldn't help but smile. He had a lot to be happy about as he'd just completed his last final of the the semester signifying the start of winter break. Tomorrow, he was headed home to celebrate Christmas with his family and but before he left, he was going to stop by Clothes Over Bro's to give Brooke and Millie their gifts.

Over the last six months, he and Brooke had become the best of friends. Because of her busy schedule, they mostly just hung out late at night at her place watching movies or a ballgame But occasionally, they'd meet for lunch or got to a bar. They'd grown so comfortable with each other that they could talk about anything including their sexual conquests—even giving each other tips and recommending positions. Clay really enjoyed getting a woman's perspective on things and she enjoyed his as well. But, it wasn't just that. They would also let each other vent about the stress in their lives for Clay it was always school related while with Brooke it was work and her mother. In short, they'd grown quite fond of one another.

Recently, Clay had talked Brooke into helping him make a comic book for his niece. Clay had written the story, which featured Maddy as the lead character and he talked Brooke into drawing the illustrations for it. Of course as part of her "fee", Clay had agreed to put a character called B- Dazzled, who was awesome and looked an awful lot like Brooke, in the story. They'd just finalized the book a few days ago and he'd just got it back from the printers today. It looked amazing. And he wanted to be sure Brooke got to see it before he gave it to Maddy. And to be honest, he hoped he might be able to talk Brooke into wrapping the gift for him. He hated wrapping gifts.

"Hey Millie," he greeted as he made his way into the office. "Merry Christmas," he added while handing her an envelope.

"Thanks, Clay. You too," she answered as she opened it. "Knicks tickets! This is so great. Thanks!"

Clay had discovered that Millie was a quite a sports fan so it made figuring out what to get her fairly easy. Given that he lived on a college student's budget, it was also very handy to intern for a sports agency that often got free tickets.

"You're welcome, Mil. Consider it a thank you for all the help you gave me this year. The Jeter marketing campaign never would have happened if not for your advice about Victoria," Clay explained.

"Awe, you're welcome buddy. I got you something too," she mentioned while pulling out a small wrapped box.

Clay opened it to find a navy blue Armani tie in it. "Whoa, Mill, you shouldn't have," Clay exclaimed. He knew Millie's assistant salary didn't cover much.

"Don't worry about Clay," she admonished. "I actually managed to snag this for free at one of our fashion shows and I thought you would like it."

Millie knew that the boy needed more professional clothes for his internship so she thought it would go to good use.

"Good looking out, Mil!" Clay complimented. "So where is your boss at I have a gift for her too."

Millie's face fell at the mention of Brooke. "She's been in alone in her office all afternoon. She requested no visitors shortly after she got off the phone with Victoria."

"What happened?" Clay wondered.

"Well, Brooke hasn't talked about it, but I think it might have to do with the fact that Victoria is going to be staying in Milan for the next two weeks instead of coming home as planned," Millie guessed.

"They were supposed to spend Christmas together," Clay sighed. Brooke had been looking forward to to spending Christmas with her mother for weeks and he knew that this must have crushed her. "Do you think she'll let me talk to her?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Millie shrugged hoping that Clay could help.

Clay nodded and proceeded to walk into Brooke's office. He decided that he would pretend he didn't know she was upset. After all, Brooke hated when people pitied her and that's the last thing he wanted to do. "Hey Davis, Merry Christmas," he greeted while entering her office. He could tell at first glance she'd been crying due to the redness in her eyes. He saw her look down and quickly wipe her eyes before answering, "Oh, hey Clay," she responded. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

He didn't quite know what he should say so instead he just walked over and gave her a hug. Brooke sunk into his embrace. The last thing she wanted was to admit that she was hurt, but she couldn't help but cling to him in a way that suggested she was anything but fine. "What happened?" his whispered as he still held her.

Brooke was going to try to joke it off, but she for some reason she felt safe with him and frankly she really needed to just let it all out. So with a shaky voice she cried, "they always do this to me. Why do I set myself up for this?"

"Hey, this is not your fault, Brooke," Clay soothed as he pulled back a little to look in her in the eyes. Brooke shifted out of his arms and walked over to the couch motioning for Clay to follow. As they sat down, Brooke explained that her Mom had decided to stay in Milan because she wanted to have some additional business meetings immediately after Christmas and she didn't see the point of flying back home just to leave a day later. And when Brooke had offered to fly to Milan to be with her, Victoria had countered that it was silly for her to fly all that way just for Christmas. With that comment, Victoria had just confirmed to Brooke that spending Christmas together truly meant nothing to her mother. And of course, since her Mother wasn't going to make it, her father used it as an excuse not to come either. "So, I guess I'll just spend another holiday by myself in front of the TV," Brooke sighed.

"Nope," Clay argued. "You're coming home with me."

"Clay," she said shaking her head. "It's sweet of you to offer but..."

"I'm not taking no for answer Davis," Clay interrupted. "Come on, my sister loves you and the rest of my family will too once they get to know you." A couple months ago Molly and her husband Matt were in New York and so they had all hung out together and had a great time. Brooke even gave them a tour of Clothes Over Bro's.

"Clay, I really appreciate it, but I don't want to intrude," she argued.

"You wouldn't be," he countered. "Besides, you'll be saving me from having to be the third wheel with my sister and brother-in-law. AND, you could be there to see Maddie open her gift. Look how great it turned out," he said while handing her the finished copy of the comic book they'd created. "Don't you want to be there to see her open it?"

Brooke smiled as she flipped through the pages of the comic book. Clay had spent a lot of time coming up with the story and she'd worked hard at bringing it to life with the illustrations. Maddie was the lead character of course and got to save the day in the book. Brooke had had her doubts that she would be able to do the illustrations, after all she was no Peyton, but because she thought it was such a sweet idea on Clay's part and because he had such confidence that she could do it she had agreed to help. Now, looking at the finished product, she had to admit it had turned out wonderfully. "This is pretty great," she agreed.

"See, you got to be there to give it to her," Clay encouraged.

"Clay, I don't want your family to know my parents ditched me on Christmas," Brooke admitted showing her vulnerability. "I mean what would they think? I don't want to be the girl whose parents don't want her… I mean... that don't want to spend time with her."

"First of all, my family wouldn't judge," he argued. "But even if they did, the judgment would be on your parents—not you, Brooke. This is about them and their struggles to know how to parent; it's not about you."

Seeing that she still had her doubts, he moved so that he would be kneeling in front of her. He put his hands on her lap and looked in her in the eye, "Brooke, this is not your fault. You're an amazing girl and anyone would be lucky to have you as their daughter. They suck at being parents—you're not the problem. Got it," he ordered. Brooke wanted to believe him, but it wasn't that easy to believe.

Seeing her uncertainty, he offered "Now, if you don't want me to tell my family what happened that's fine. I understand. I'll just tell them I invited you weeks ago, but I forgot to tell them you were coming. Trust me, this is totally something I would do so they will believe it," he grinned.

She had to laugh. She knew from experience that Clay had a tendency to forget to tell his family things. His sister had teased him about it in front of Brooke before. As she stared at his smiling boyish face, she felt her resistance waning. After all, Clay clearly wanted her to spend Christmas with her. And it felt nice to be wanted. So she felt herself whisper, "Okay."

"Okay?" Clay questioned. And she nodded, causing him to jump to his feet and pump his fist. "Yes, we're going to have some much fun, Davis. So, I'll swing by and pick you up around 9 so we can be at the train station by 10."

"There's an Amtrak stop in your town?" she wondered. She knew Clay was from a small town near the coast in Massachusetts and was surprised that they'd have a train depot there.

"Well no, we'll get off the train in Boston and my Mom will pick us up," he elaborated.

"What if I arrange for us to get a car and drive up?" Brooke offered. "That will save your Mom having to pick us up."

"Are you sure?" he wondered. He always felt guilty about taking advantage of Brooke's wealth.

"Yes, it's no trouble. Clothes over Bro's has several company cars and Millie can reserve us one," she explained. "And this will give me a little more time to shop."

"Shop?" he questioned.

"Well, I can't show up to Christmas without presents for your family," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You don't need to get them anything," he countered knowing that it was probably useless to argue with her about this as Brooke loved giving gifts.

"Yes, I do," she retorted. "It would be rude not to since I'm intruding on your family's holiday."

"Alright," he conceded. "Just keep the gifts small though or it will make my family uncomfortable."

"Okay," she agreed.

* * *

"Yo, Davis let's go," Clay hollered as he made his way into her apartment. Brooke was in her bedroom finalizing her packing.

"I'm ready," she answered walking out of the bedroom. She had a one huge and one medium suitcase and a smaller bag used for shoes.

"Damn, Davis," he said gesturing to her luggage. "We're not moving to Massachusetts."

"Hey, this is your fault," she retorted. "You gave me no details about what we'd be doing so I need to have some clothing options. And besides this bag has presents in it" she said referring to the medium suitcase. Clay just smiled at her rational and chose to let it go.

"Alright, let's get out of here," he motioned and grabbed two of her bags. Brooke followed with the smaller bag. They loaded up the BMW SUV that Millie had reserved for them and headed out on the road.

They were pretty compatible in the car except for the radio. Clay was a big fan of 80s Rock and Brooke was no fan of Motely Crue. Half way through Clay's rendition of "Kickstart My Heart", Brooke shouted she couldn't take and promptly changed the station. This resulted in a 30-minute debate about music, which started out at a fairly high level and quickly dissolved into an excuse for the two of them to make fun of each other.

They had taken turns driving throughout the trip. Clay was now driving the last leg of the trip. They were about thirty minutes from his house when he noticed that Brooke had gotten really quiet.

"Are you getting bored with me already, Davis?" he said while nudging her shoulder.

"No," she mumbled. "Just thinking."

He decided not to push anymore until he noticed her fidgeting bit in her seat. And that's when her realized what was wrong, "Are you nervous, Brooke?"

"No," she stuttered unconvincingly.

"Brooke, come on," he whispered. "Don't lie. It's me."

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "I've never spent the holidays with another family."

"Relax, there's nothing to worry about; they are going to love you," He assured her. "Besides, my Mom will be really happy to have another person with us. She's from a big family and loves having a lot of people around. But, now that her parents are gone, her siblings don't always get together on Christmas. It will just be us, my sister, and my father's parents this year."

Soon they were pulling up to Clay's childhood home, a quaint, two-story New England style house. While it wasn't a large home, it was easy to see that it was very well taken care. As they got out to unload their bags, they heard the door opening and a woman Brooke assumed was Clay's mother walking toward them.

"Hey Mom," Clay greeted while giving her a hug. His Mom was a thin blond woman; Brooke guessed was in her 50s. She was very pretty, but in a more understated way than Victoria was.

"It so good to see you," his mother mused. "It's been a while…"

"Not that long," Clay argued knowing he should try to make it home more, but he was busy in New York. His Mom just laughed and then shifted her gaze to Brooke.

"Mom, this is Brooke. Brooke, this is my mother, Kate," Clay introduced as the two women shook hands.

"It's so good to meet you," Kate exclaimed. "My kids have told me so much about you; it's nice to finally meet you."

"Thank you for having me," Brooke smiled.

"Well, come on let's get inside; its cold out here," Kate ordered as she grabbed one of their suitcases to help them carry it all in.

Brooke took a moment to study the house. It was warm and cozy. And it was filled with the smells of a home-cooked meal. In short, it was everything her childhood home wasn't.

"Clay, you'll be sleeping on the pull-out couch in the Den, and Brooke will be in your room," Kate instructed.

"Oh, I can sleep in the Den," Brooke offered feeling guilty for stealing Clay's room.

"Nonsense, you're a guest," Kate dismissed.

"Yep, those are the House rules, Davis," he said as he led her into his childhood room. "

I know it's a little small," he apologized. He knew his childhood room probably paled in comparison to the luxury accommodations that Brooke was used. The room was a soothing blue color complete with a lot of sailboat décor. She also noticed a little reading nook that had a bookshelf next to it. The shelf consisted of mostly comic books and some photos of family and friends. She also noticed a few comic book figurines on it.

"It's perfect, Clay," she answered easing his fears. She picked up the Wolverine figure off the shelf and smiled, "cute doll."

Clay couldn't help but blush and simply mumbled, "It's not a doll; it's an action figure. Besides, it's a collector's item." Seeing a clearly amused Brooke, he added, "It's manly."

"Uh, huh," Brooke grinned.

Changing the subject, he explained that there were towels for her on the desk. "The bathroom is down the hall and there are extra blankets in the closet if you get cold. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered. The room with all its reminders of Clay made her feel oddly at ease. And she felt excitement at the thought that she would be spending Christmas with an actual family. She owed to Clay for giving her this opportunity. He quickly dismissed himself to give her a little time to herself, but before he left she called out to him, "Clay."

He turned around to meet her gaze. And then she whispered, "Thanks for …**everything."**

"Sure," he shrugged. "I'll be in the kitchen with my Mom. Come down whenever you're ready."

* * *

Brooke made her way into the kitchen. She couldn't help but smile as she heard Clay's Mom scolding him for loading up on too many cookies before dinner. Noticing her entrance, Clay joked, "See why I don't come home very often? Look what I have to deal with."

"I think you're lucky; they let you come home at all," Brooke teased.

"Oh, I like this girl," Kate laughed as she and Brooke smiled at one another.

"You're here for a few minutes and already my Mom likes you better," he grumbled.

"Oh, poor baby," Kate replied. "But don't worry, you can get away from all this teasing, because I need you to put the Christmas lights on the house. I've done everything else, but you know I don't like getting up on the roof."

"Mom, you have a giant tree in the living room covered in lights, do we really need lights outside too," he whined. "It's so cold."

"But it won't feel like Christmas without them," Kate complained and then looked to Brooke for some support.

"Yeah, I love outdoor lights," Brooke added.

"Fine," he conceded as he made his way outside to get the lights.

"I should go help him," Brooke offered.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Kate insisted. "Stay here with me where it's warm. We still have the hooks on the roof so it won't take him more than an hour. He just whines about it to get a little extra attention."

"Okay," Brooke agreed. The truth was she was a little nervous to be alone with Kate. But after a few minutes, they were chatting like old pals. Brooke shared with Kate some of the adventures she and Clay had had and Kate shared a few childhood stories about Clay that made Brooke laugh. She was going to have a lot of fun teasing him about them later.

"I'm really glad my son met you, Brooke," Kate confessed. "You know ever since Clay's Dad died he kind of shut himself off. Don't get me wrong; he's always been popular. And, he never struggled to find a date. But, I felt like he doesn't allow himself to get too close to people. I never felt like he had a best friend that he could really confide in. But, with you, it's different. You're the first person he's ever told me about when we talk on Sundays. I can tell you mean a lot to him. And I've never seen him happier so thank you for that."

Brooke felt herself tearing up a bit overwhelmed with all that was said. Kate's words were so heartfelt. And she couldn't believe that Clay actually talked about her to his Mom. She'd never really been the take home to Mom girl, let alone one that parents approved of. And she and Clay weren't even dating. Not quite knowing how to respond, she settled on saying, "He makes easy… to be his friend."

There bonding moment was quickly interrupted by Clay entering the kitchen with his nose all red from being outside and mumbling about how cold it was. They both laughed at his red face.

"I'll tell you what will warm you up," Kate mentioned. "We should light a fire."

"Ooh, I love sitting around a fire on a winter's night," Brooke agreed.

"Good, it's settled," Kate said. "Clay, go get the wood and start the fire."

"Put the lights up Cinderella. Start a fire Cinderella," Clay whined.

"Relax, princess," Brooke laughed. "I will help you."

As they arranged the wood in the fireplace, Clay asked, "So, I hope it wasn't weird for you to be alone with my Mom

"She's great," Brooke smiled. "She told me some interesting things about you."

"Oh yeah?" he wondered.

"So apparently you were fond of cross-dressing as a child," she smirked.

"She told you that," he groaned. "My sister would make me play dress up. I was only five and she was twice my size. I didn't have a choice."

"Uh, huh," she teased.

"Mom didn't show you pictures did she?" he worried.

"There are pictures," Brooke shrieked as her face lit up like a child about to have ice cream. "I've got to see these."

"I was kidding there aren't any pictures," he tried to cover.

"Sure, then you won't mind me asking your Mom about that," Brooke taunted.

Clay just groaned it was going to be a long night.

Fortunately for him, Brooke became distracted from her quest for the photos by the arrival of his grandparents. She watched fondly as the family members greeted each other with hugs.

"And who's this pretty lady?" Clay's grandpa asked as he caught a glimpse of Brooke.

"Grandpa, this is my friend, Brooke Davis. Brooke, these are my grandparents, Martin and Charlene Evans", he introduced.

"It's nice to meet you dear," Charlene told Brooke as they shook hands. "Clay, I didn't know you had such a lovely girlfriend?"

"We're friends, Grandma," Clay explained. "We're not dating."

"Not dating? Well, you need to get to work on that son," his Grandpa teased as he lightly slapped Clay on the shoulder.

"So Mom, when is Molly getting here?" Clay asked trying to change the subject.

"Actually, I thought they'd be here by now," Kate answered as she glanced at her watch.

"Uh, I'm starving," Clay groaned. "They better not make us wait to eat."

"Clay, be patient," his Mom lectured. "You know the drive takes them a little longer now that they have Maddy."

"Molly was late before she had a kid," Clay whispered to Brooke. She quickly nudged him the stomach with her elbow to shush him. But she couldn't help, but laugh at his antics.

* * *

They had a lovely dinner. The Evans loved to tease one another and joke around. Brooke found herself sitting back and trying to take it all in. She liked everyone and she was absolutely in love with little Maddy, who now at three-years-old had become quite the character. She gave the family plenty of laughs throughout the evening. She was currently playing in the living room while the adults remained at the dinning table talking.

"So, Brooke do you go to NYU too?" Charlene asked.

"No, I work in fashion," she answered modestly.

"Grandma, Brooke is the creator of the Clothes' Over Bro's clothing line," Molly chimed in. "She's an extremely talented fashion designer. She made this top," she added pointing to her blouse.

"Wow, that's lovely dear," Charlene complimented. "Your parents must be so proud."

"Yeah," Brooke winced as she thought about her parents. She felt Clay grab her hand below the table and give it a squeeze. She was amazed at how attuned to her feelings he could be. She turned to look at him and as if to say thank you with her eyes.

Their moment was interrupted by Maddy laughing loudly when she came running into the dinning room carrying mistletoe.

"Oh, no," Matt groaned. "Prepare yourselves. My wife taught Maddy about mistletoe and now she's obsessed with making people kiss."

"Hey, don't be such a Grinch," Molly scolded. "I think it's cute."

First, Maddy started with her great grandparents. She was too little to hold the mistleto over their heads so she just touched them each with it. And called out mistletoe only her three-year-old pronunciation sounded more like she was saying "Mrs. Toes." Charlene and Martin shared a small peck happy to oblige their granddaughter who giggled adorably after seeing them kiss.

It was then that Maddy ran over to Clay and Brooke and started poking them with the mistletoe. Brooke and Clay looked like a deer caught in the headlights as they were unsure how to proceed. And then Maddy began shouting, "Mrs. Toes, Mrs. Toes, Mrs. TOES!"

Molly gave them a look of apology and tried to explain to Maddy that Clay and Brooke were not dating. But, Maddy would not stop shouting. Finally, Clay decided to give Brooke a kiss on the cheek. But, Maddy was not having it, "Lips, Lips," she shouted. So, it was then that Brooke leaned over and gave Clay a nice soft kiss on the lips. Clay was a bit shocked at first but he quickly responded to the kiss. While the kiss was short enough to be respectful of the family in the room, it was also long enough to satisfy Maddy. And long enough to have an effect on them.

Her lips were softer than he'd imagined, Clay thought. Brooke had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Clay and she had to admit it felt nice. She found herself thinking about what a real kiss would feel like from him.

Soon, Charlene and Martin announcing they were headed home to go to bed.

Once they left, Molly and Kate excused themselves to go give Maddy a bath. It was then that Matt asked Clay and Brooke if they would be interested in going on town.

"Come on," he encouraged. "Since Maddy has been born, Molly and I rarely get a night out. And she won't want to leave if you guys stay here. Your Mom has already offered to watch Maddy tonight. All I need is for you guys to agree. Come on, it'll be fun."

"What do you think, Davis?" Clay asked.

"Sure, I'm game," she shrugged.

"Yes," Matt exclaimed as he put his arm around. "I think we're going to be good friends."

"Trading me in already," Molly teased as she returned to the room seeing her husband's arm around Brooke.

"Never, Baby," he answered while walking over to kiss her.

"Oh, God," Clay groaned clearly disgusted by seeing his sister and brother-in-law be mushy. Brooke just shook her head as his antics, she found it sweet to see a couple so in love.

"Just for that, you guys are driving tonight, because I'm going to need to get drunk to deal with this mushy crap all night," Clay ordered.

"Fine," Matt agreed. "Let's take our car."

Because Maddy's car seat was still in the backseat, it forced Clay and Brooke to sit close together in order to fit. Clay had his arm around her to try and make the situation more comfortable for the both of him. Since the kiss early in the evening, Clay felt himself looking for excuses to touch Brooke and be close to her. Brooke felt herself enjoying the closeness. It had been far too long since she'd had the physical comfort of being truly close to someone. Sure, she'd had her share of one-night stands since she'd been in New York to give her a sexual release. But, it had been far too long since she had just been held by someone or cuddle with someone to avoid the cold. It felt nice to be close to someone especially Clay who made her feel safe.

Clay had requested they go to his favorite hometown pub, a sports bar called The Bullpen. As they made their way in the small cozy pub, Brooke felt Clay's hand on the small of her back guiding her in. Neither quite knowing what was going on with all the touchiness between them, but neither was willing to risk acknowledging it either.

As they surveyed the room, the guys told Brooke and Molly to grab a table while they got them some drinks. Soon the foursome sat in a booth sipping drinks, swapping stories, and having a great time. Suddenly, Molly, who like the rest of them was a little tipsy, shouted out, "Oh, my God, we have to play Redneck Roulette."

"Yes," Clay yelled while high-fiving his sister.

"What's Redneck Roulette?" Brooke laughed as their enthusiasm.

"It's this lame game that the two of them made up and then always end up fighting about who wins," Matt whined.

"Don't listen to him," Molly argued. "So how it works is, we pick a table of people in this bar. And then we each play a song on the jukebox. Whoever gets the biggest reaction out of the table without talking to them wins. Basically, you just have to pick a song that you think they'll like. "

"I get the roulette part, but why do you call it redneck?" Brooke wondered.

"Because, we always play in dive bars," Molly explained.

"Yes, and I'm currently on a 10-game winning streak," Clay bragged.

Molly rolled her eyes, "Whatever, you've just gotten lucky lately."

"Face it older sister, you've been surpassed," he quipped. "I'm a sports agent. I'm going to make a living reading people. This is my game."

"The arguing is only going to worse from here on out," Matt whispered to Brooke as they shared a smile watching the Evans siblings banter back and forth. "They are so competitive."

"Okay, since you're the master of this game, you won't mind if I pick the table," Molly challenged.

"Fine," Clay agreed.

Molly surveyed the room and then selected a table that consisted of four women who looked to be in their forties. Two of them had platinum blonde hair and they were all dressed a little risqué for their age.

"Alright, let's go pick our songs," Molly motioned.

"Not, yet," Clay stalled. "I need a few minutes to observe them before I make my selection."

"Fine," Molly sighed. "I'm getting another drink."

"I'm going to the restroom," Brooke mentioned.

Once the girls arrived back at the table, Clay announced he was ready to play. "Okay, so you get four songs per dollar so are we all playing?"

"I'm not," Matt said.

"Why not?" Molly asked him.

"Because Babe, even if I win, I'll end up losing, because you're a sore loser," he admitted.

"I am not," she whined. Brooke smiled realizing that Molly and Clay had very similar whining faces.

Matt managed to appease his wife by explaining that he loved her competitiveness, but he just didn't feel like playing tonight.

"You're playing though right, Davis?" Clay questioned.

"Sure," she agreed.

With that the three of them headed over to the jukebox to make their selections. Each of them not looking while the other selected their song. Molly went first, then Clay, then Brooke. For the remaining song, Clay just selected something he wanted to hear.

They had to wait through a few songs before their songs came on. Molly had selected "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," unfortunately the women at the table didn't respond at all to it.

"Oh, I guess these girls just don't wanna have fun," Clay quipped. "It was a nice try going for something popular in their generation—but you clearly misjudged their taste."

"Shut up, asshole," Molly snapped.

Soon Clay's song came up, which was "Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. The women at the table began to sing along to the music creating a smug smile on Clay's face.

"And that's… how… it's done," he smirked indicating he'd won. "Looks like the next round of drinks in on you, two."

"Hey, it's not over yet, Brooke hasn't gone," Molly pointed out.

"Yes, but she's a rookie—no way she beats me her first time out," he grinned. "And the only way she could win now is if they actually got up and danced."

"Hey, it could happen, Brooke argued.

"Yeah, it's not over yet," Molly agreed.

"Okay, tell you what Molls, if Brooke actually wins, I'll buy us all shots us," he said smugly. "You won't have to buy me anything."

Soon the sounds of "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi filled the bar, which was Brooke's choice. And that's when the girls at the table started shouting and got up to dance.

"Boom, you just got crushed," Molly taunted Clay while high-fiving Brooke.

"Whatever, you got beat too," he grumbled. "Beginners luck."

"Well, this beginner wants tequila for her shot," Brooke smirked.

"Ooh, me too," Molly added.

"Alright," he sighed while getting up to go get the shots.

"Impressive, Brooke. Clay hardly ever gets beat," Matt complimented.

"Yeah well done for knocking him down a peg," Molly nodded. "What's your secret?"

Brooke quickly checked to make sure Clay wasn't around before confessing, "I actually ran into one of the girls in the bathroom and just asked what her favorite song was."

"Oh, my God that's awesome," Molly laughed clearly approving of Brooke's cheating. "You so have to marry my brother."

Her comment startled Brooke a bit, but before she could process it much Clay returned. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," they all said.

"Uh, huh," Clay scowled clearly not buying it.

Before he could quiz them, Matt had asked Molly if she wanted to dance since a love song was now playing. As they watched couples filling up the dance floor, Clay worked up the courage to ask Brooke if she wanted to dance. The song was "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole, which she really liked and so she accepted his offer.

As they began to dance, Brooke realized that Clay must have picked this song since the dollar he put in allowed for four songs. She'd been fond of this song since she'd heard at a wedding once as a little girl. "Did you pick this song?" she asked as they swayed slowly to the music.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a sucker for classics."

"It's beautiful," Brooke offered.

"Yeah, it is," he whispered looking into her eyes. They both knew he wasn't talking about the song.

As they listen to the romantic lyrics, they couldn't help but begin to move closer and closer together. Clay loved the way she smelled. He guessed she used some kind of coconut shampoo, plus something else that he couldn't quite pinpoint that made her smell amazing. As his arms tightened around her, Brooke couldn't help but notice how naturally their bodies fit together. He was just enough taller than her that her head would fit perfectly between his shoulder and neck and yet he wasn't so tall that she couldn't easily lean up to kiss him.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe because she hadn't been with a good kisser in a while or because of the romance in the air but for whatever reason she felt herself starting to lean in. As their eyes met, she could tell he wanted her too. And then just as their lips were about to meet, she felt Clay jerk back a little. She then noticed that Matt had bumped him in the shoulder.

"Sorry guys, Molly is getting tired," Matt apologized. "Are you about ready?"

Damn it Matt, Clay thought. He was finally about to really kiss the girl of his dreams and he gets cocked blocked by his brother-in-law.

Brooke on the other hand felt a little relief. She couldn't believe she was about to kiss her best friend. What would happen if they didn't workout, she'd lose him forever. Just like she lost everyone else.

As they made their way into the Evans house, they tried their best to be quiet not wanting to wake Kate or Maddy. But, soon they saw Kate was actually watching TV in the living room. "Mom, what are you still doing up?" Molly asked.

"I guess I was waiting for you guys to come home," she shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

"Sorry, we didn't mean to keep you up," Clay apologized.

"Don't be, it's so nice having you all the house," Kate admitted thinking it was nice to not have a quiet house for once. Clay and Kate gave her a sad smile as they knew that she got awful lonely by herself in the house. And she really loved having them all home.

"Did Maddy give you any trouble?" Matt asked.

"No, she was great," Kate smiled. "You know I love spending time with her."

"Well, I'm going to head to bed," Molly announced. "Good night all." She hugged her Mom. And then she and Matt made their way to their room.

"I think I'll turn in too," Kate added. "You guys staying up?"

Clay glanced at Brooke and said, "Well I was hoping that Brooke would join me for a night cap." Seeing her hesitation, he begged, "Please I'm not quite ready for bed."

"Alright," she agreed.

"Okay, we'll you to have a good night," Kate said while she hugged her son. Brooke was startled a bit when Kate moved to hug her too. Kate gave her a real tight motherly hug and then whispered, "I'm so glad you're here with us, sweetie."

Brooke smiled at her words and watched as Kate retreated upstairs to her room. When Clay went to the kitchen to get the drinks, Brooke decided to turn the lights in the living room off since Molly and Matt were sleeping in a room just down the hall. Besides the lights from the Christmas tree provided enough light to see. As she took a few moments to truly study the tree, she realized it wasn't covered with perfectly matching ornaments like the tree her mother put out—that is when she actually remembered to put one up. No, this one had a lot of homemade ornaments. And many that had Clay and Molly's names on them marking a special occasion. It was the tree that represented a family. And it was beautiful. As she thought about the tree and the Kate's words, she felt herself tearing up a bit.

Clay's felt his breath leave his body when he saw her sitting in the living room. She was looked unbelievable in glow of the Christmas tree light. And he didn't think he would ever see something so beautiful until his gaze met her eyes and he realized she was upset about something. He quickly set the drinks down on the coffee table and moved to sit next to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he whispered.

"Your Mom just gave me a hug, a real hug," she answered shakily as she fought to hold back the tears. Clay just waited for her to continue. "Your family is so wonderful. I just never… knew what that felt like," she explained. "I was just thinking that I've never really been a part of a **real **family."

"You are now," he answered without hesitation. Seeing she still had doubts, he went on, "You're my best friend, Brooke. My family is your family. And let's be honest, they like you better than me anyway. Face it Davis, you're stuck with us," he grinned.

She didn't know if it was because of how much his incredibly heartfelt words meant to her, or because she had enough alcohol to give her the courage or frankly, because he looked so damn handsome in the Christmas tree lights, but for whatever reason she felt herself moving in to kiss him. Clay responded immediately and pulled her into his body. This was his Christmas wish and he was going to make the most of it. Unlike their earlier kiss, this one was deep and unhurried. It was incredible. When he felt her pull back, his heart sank fearing that she was going to say it was mistake. But, then without saying a word, she simply grabbed his hand and led him into his room. So much for just being friends.

**Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed, favorited or followed. I can't tell you how much of a motivator it is for me to keep writing when I know that people are reading it. Please review again and help me get the next chapter out in a timely manner.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed or followed this story. It really meant a lot to me. Hope you like this!**

He woke up to the best feeling in the world. He was spooning Brooke. The feel of her body burrowed into him and the smell of her hair wafting through his nose felt incredible. When he thought about last night, it brought a smile to his face. It was amazing. The best sex of his life. She was even sexier than he had ever imagined. Last night, he had tried to memorize everything from the softness of her skin, the curves of her breasts, the way her ass fit perfectly in his hands. The way their bodies molded together to create a feeling of ecstasy. It was perfect… and now it was over.

He began to fear that when Brooke woke up her commitment issues would take over and she would say it was all a mistake. Or worse, she'd feel the need to leave immediately. After having a taste of what a relationship would be like with her, he certainly had no need to go back to being friends. However, the thought of losing her entirely was enough for him to be willing to concede that. When he felt her shift next to him, he knew he had to think of something to keep her from running. Fortunately, he was good at thinking on his feet or his back for that matter.

"Brooke," he whispered. It was still early in the morning and she was struggling to open her eyes. "Brooke."

"Mmm," she moaned her eyes fluttering open to meet his gaze.

"Hey," he whispered. He watched her face as she began to process what had happened last night. Finally, she was able to whisper back, "Hi."

"Crazy night?" he offered as a way to break the ice.

"Yeah," she agreed. She was just about to speak when he interrupted her.

"Can I say something first?" he asked. She nodded relieved to have a little more time to gather her thoughts.

"I've been awake for a little while and I have some time to think about this. And I've decided that I don't think we should make a decision right now about whether or not we want to continue doing this, which was amazing by the way. This isn't the right time. We're here to celebrate Christmas with my family—and if whatever we decide about this—it would be awkward to do so with my family all around. So, I say we call this halftime."

Only Clay could find a sports metaphor for every situation, she thought.

Seeing her smile he continued, "Halftime will last from until we get back to New York. We're on pause so to speak. In front of my family, we'll act like nothing has changed. Once we get back to New York, we can talk about what this all meant."

Brooke had to admit it seemed like a great plan. The last thing she wanted was for things to get awkward in front of his family. And frankly, she had no idea what she wanted the relationship to be and so the idea of putting off a decision seemed like the way to go.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Alright," he grinned. "Now I'm going to sneak back in to the Den before everybody else wakes up. But before I go, I want to mention that you had a hell of a performance in the first half. Great moves."

She laughed and playfully slapped his chest. He then added with an honest tone, "and this was the best way to wake up on Christmas morning. Thank you." And then he kissed her plump lips and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Brooke."

He was out the door before she could respond. She touched her lips, the feel of his still lingering on them. Of course he would be a good kisser, she thought. It turned out that Clay being attuned to her emotionally also translated physically too. Last night had been incredibly hot. She wouldn't mind doing that again but she wasn't sure she was ready for everything else that would come with it.

* * *

Clay's family sat around the living room opening gifts. With her and Clay seated closely together on the love seat. Mostly, they all focused on Maddy who had the most adorable expressions whenever she opened her presents. The comic book they had made for Maddy had been a big hit both with the little one and everyone else. Clay's family had raved about the job that the two of them had done. His Mom had commented about how the two of them made such a good team, leading each of them to ponder whether or not that teamwork could translate to a relationship.

Brooke had done very well picking out gifts for the rest of his family as well. She'd stuck to Clay's advice and not gone overboard with the gifts. For the women in the family, she'd given Clothes Over Bro's scarfs and bracelets. For his Grandpa and Matt, she'd gone with nice leather gloves. And she'd given Maddy a purple monkey. She was surprised to find that his family had gifts for her despite them finding out at the last minute she was coming. His Mom had given her a cool cell phone case and an iTunes gift card and his grandparents got her a nice bottle of wine.

As she opened her gift from Matt and Molly, she smiled when she saw it was the DVD box set of Sex and the City. "Oh, no," Clay groaned causing her to laugh. Brooke was hooked on this show and she'd managed to make Clay watch it with her a few times. Although he wouldn't admit it, Brooke knew he secretly liked it.

"Whatever, you know it's a good show," she retorted.

"It just breaks my heart," he said pretending to tear up. "I know she's going to leave Aiden every time, but it still hurts me." Matt laughed at his antics while Brooke and Molly just rolled their eyes.

Soon the family was distracted with helping Maddy with her gift, so Brooke made a point to give Clay his gift from her then. He opened it to find a Rolex Yacht-Master watch, which was perfect for sailors. He also knew that it was a very expensive watch and he couldn't believe Brooke had spent so much on him. "Oh, wow this is amazing," he whispered while looking at her. "It's too much… you shouldn't have."

"I wanted to," she smiled at him loving how his face had lit up when he opened it. After he told her about his dream to sail, she's spent hours looking for the perfect gift to get him. She'd thought of many things including getting him a small boat, but she knew he'd never accept it. And, she knew he actually wanted to restore one himself so she'd settled on getting him a watch. She'd found one that had a silver band and with a blue face. The shade of blue had reminded her of his eyes and so she thought it was a good sign.

As he removed it from the box, he turned it over to see an inscription. "_Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly_"—John. F. Kennedy.

"It's a favorite quote of mine," she explained. She'd found it in the leadership book on President Kennedy that Lucas had given her to read when she was running for student body president. She knew that Clay had some lofty goals including wanting to own his own agency someday. And she knew he had a lot doubts in himself so she thought this inscription would help encourage him to pursue his dreams.

"Do you like Kennedy?" she wondered worried a little bit about his lack of response. "I thought you might since he was from here and he was a sailor."

"It's perfect," he answered meeting her gaze. "I love it." It was honestly one of the most meaningful gifts he'd ever been given and he was at a loss at how to respond. What he really wanted to do was reach over and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. But, he knew it wasn't the right time with his family nearby and he'd promised her that they would put everything on hold. So instead, he reached over to hand her his gift to her.

It was a rather large gift for her to unwrap. She tore away the nice paper wondering whom he'd talked into wrapping it for him since she knew he hated wrapping gifts. Inside was a framed collage of her design sketches. At the bottom of the frame, there was an inscription with the date January 11, 2006 and the words "A Dream Begins." It was then she realized that these were not just any sketches; they were the first designs she'd made in highs school when she launched Clothes Over Bro's. January 11 was the day they launched the website and consequently her company.

"How did you get these?" she asked in complete astonishment that he'd been able to find them.

"I got them from Mouth," he explained. "You gave them to him to scan and post them on your first website for Clothes Over Bro's. He had kept all of the records for the company in a file. They were still in his old room and his Mom was able to send them to me."

Mouth had recently stayed with Brooke while attending a sports conference in New York. One night she was unable to take him out to dinner so she'd asked Clay to entertain him for the evening. The two sports-loving guys had become fast friends. However, Brooke was unaware that they had remained in contact after Mouth left. Clay had been so happy to have a link to Brooke's past that he'd tried his best to charm Mouth like no other. With Clay's connection at the sports agency, he was able to get Mouth some interviews with their clients. All Clay ever asked for in exchange were stories about Brooke's past. He was desperate to know more about her. When Mouth told him the story about how he had set up Brooke's website, Clay had gotten this idea. Luckily, Mouth never threw anything away and so he was able to track them down.

"I thought you should have a little memento to commemorate where you started from," Clay added as he anxiously waited for her reaction. At this point, he wasn't sure whether or not she liked it.

Brooke was speechless. She'd never received such a thoughtful gift before. And she wasn't quite sure how to respond. She felt her eyes welling up and the last thing she wanted to do was get so emotional. So instead of saying anything, she just leaned over and hugged Clay tightly.

Clay's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He'd been so worried that she might think it was lame especially since she'd spent so much money on his gift. All his fears were lifted as he felt her burrow into him even more and then softly whisper, "Thank you. No one has ever done anything like this for me before, I love it."

"You're welcome, Brooke," he whispered back and then kissed her temple.

* * *

The rest of Christmas day had been filled with laughs and eating great food. As evening arrived, Clay's grandparents went home and his Mom had left to go caroling with her church choir. Molly and Matt went to meet up with an old friend of hers and they'd left Maddy with Brooke and Clay. Maddy had insisted that they play princess. Brooke couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Clay, who was currently sporting a tiara, lots of necklaces and clip on earrings.

"Sure laugh it up… you're just mad that I got the bigger crown," Clay taunted. Brooke was dressed up as well with a tiara and necklaces.

"Yes, that's it," she smirked and then proceeded to take out her iPhone and snap a picture of him.

"Hey," he whined knowing that that photo would be used against him in the future.

"Relax, princess, I took the photo on your good side," she teased back.

"Baby, I have no bad sides," he flirted cockily.

She couldn't help but laugh at him. As she glanced over at Maddy, she noticed that the little girl was rubbing her eyes. "Clay, do you think we should put her to bed?" she whispered while motioning her head towards Maddy.

After checking his new watch, he nodded. He knew getting Maddy to bed could be difficult so he decided to try to make it sound fun. "Hey Mads, what do you say we go read the new book we got you?"

Maddy proceeded to think about his offer. Her little face was so adorable as she pondered his suggestion, finally, she answered, "Okay."

Clay scooped the toddler up into his arms causing her to giggle uncontrollably. Brooke watched the scene unfold with warmth in her heart she hadn't felt really ever. And then when he turned around with Maddy in his arms and asked her if she was coming she felt like her heart might explode. This is going to be trouble, she thought. She was getting in too deep.

The three of them snuggled up on Maddy's little bed. Clay began reading the comic book that he and Brooke created. He was very animated as he did unique voices for each of the characters. While she was amused, Brooke felt he needed to tone down his energy level. Seeing her look, he paused to ask, "What?"

"I think you're suppose to be less enthusiastic, more soothing," she explained and then seeing his confusion she continued. "You're supposed to lull her to sleep."

"No sleep!" Maddy shouted pumping her little fist in the air. Clay and Brooke both chuckled at the toddler's reaction. And then Clay smirked, "Nice going, Davis."

Brooke scoffed, "it's not my fault you didn't get what I was saying."

"Well, let's see you do better," he challenged.

"Fine," she snapped while grabbing the book from his hands. She put her one arm around Maddy and held the book in front of the toddler as she read. The lowering of her voice combined with her natural rasp proved to be quite soothing. Clay felt himself in awe of how natural Brooke was in this role. As he sat on the other side of Maddy, he felt himself leaning closer to Brooke through some unknown force. He leaned his head on the headboard above Maddy and angled himself towards Brooke so he was close enough to smell the hint of coconut shampoo in her hair.

As Brooke neared the end of the book, she looked over to see that Maddy was now asleep. She then looked up to meet Clay's gaze. She felt warmth in her heart at the way he was looking at her as if he was in complete awe of her. He was. Brooke slowly removed herself from the bed and adjusted the covers so that Maddy was tucked in tight. Brooke watched as Clay followed her lead and climbed off the bed but before he left the room he bent down to kiss Maddy's forehead.

He'll make a good father some day, Brooke thought. She felt herself wondering what it would be like for them to have children together. She tried to shake those thoughts out of her head - it was stupid to even be thinking about that.

However, it didn't stop her from looking at Clay lovingly. Seeing her gaze, Clay snapped. He knew that look. She wanted him. He took two big strides towards and pulled her out of Maddy's room. Seeing her look of shock, he whispered "Halftime's over." And then he kissed her with everything he had.

When he felt her moan and then wrap her arms around his neck, he knew she wanted this too. They quickly found their way into Clay's old room. Unlike their first encounter which was more frenzied in fear that if they paused it would end, they took their time this time. Brooke allowed her fingers to gently graze over his naked chest—enjoying the way his chiseled chest felt underneath her fingertips. Once he'd removed her clothes, Clay took a moment to stare down at her perfect body. When he saw her look of vulnerability, he whispered, "You're so fucking sexy." She moaned and pulled him into her wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. They were in for a long night.

* * *

In the early morning hours, they were laying naked in his childhood bed. Brooke had her head on his chest with her arm draped across him. Clay had one arm wrapped around her and his other hand lightly stroking her arm. Neither of them had spoken in a long time, both not wanting to ruin the moment. Finally, Brooke rasped, "What are you thinking about?"

You. That was the short answer, but Clay wasn't ready to admit that.

He remained silent continuing to think about last night, when his thoughts drifted to his youth. Brooke noticed all of sudden that a grin appeared on his face. "What?" she asked.

Clay looked down at her and said, "You know as a young lad with braces and bad acne I spent many nights in this room hoping to get a sexy woman in this bed…but never had any luck. To think that the first woman I score with in this bed… is you. Crazy. That's like hitting a grand slam in your first ever at bat. If I could go back in time, I go back and tell 14 year-old me all about this so he would feel better and so he could high five me."

Brooke couldn't help but laugh at his antics and playfully slap his chest, "I can't believe we had sex on your Batman sheets."

"Oh, come on. I know you've got a thing for Bruce Wayne," he teased. "Although, Cat Woman has got nothing on you, Gorgeous."

"Do you think anybody heard us?" she wondered.

"Since when are you shy about your sex life?" he questioned. "I thought you were a big believer in being loud and proud." It was one of the things he loved about her.

She quirked her eyebrow, "I'm not shy, but I don't want to be disrespectful to your Mom."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "I don't think anyone heard us and if she did…she'd be too embarrassed to say anything."

He then had an idea. "Although, if she did hear something…she could be a little upset if she thought we just had a one night... well, two-night stand."

"Oh yeah?" Brooke asked wondering where he was going with this.

"Yeah, I think she'd feel better knowing we were a couple," he suggested. This wasn't exactly the way he'd planned to ask her to be his girlfriend but, if it might work, he was going to give it a shot.

"Really?" Brooke questioned knowing this had nothing to do with his mother. "Evans, are you actually asking me to be girlfriend so your Mommy won't get mad at us?"

"Come on, Davis," he pleaded. "Give a guy break. It's not easy to have this conversation."

"You're right," she admitted. "Sorry."

"I want to be with you, Brooke," he stated confidently.

She couldn't help but shudder a bit at his words. It wasn't all that long ago that Lucas Scott has said those very words to her and the pain of how that turned out still lingered with her.

"I know you may be a little scared that this will ruin our friendship," he continued. "But, I think we can be really great together. We just… get each other…you know? And frankly, after being with you like this, I don't think I can go back to the way we were before."

There it was. He'd laid it all out there for her. He felt like he was left hanging forever until she finally responded.

"I just don't want to lose you," Brooke admitted hating how vulnerable her voice sounded.

"You won't, Brooke," he answered confidently. "No matter what happens with us… you will always be in my life."

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise," he said with no hesitation.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Okay?" he smiled. "So does this mean you're my girlfriend now?"

She grinned back at him, "I think it does."

"Well alright," he replied before leaning down to seal the deal with a kiss.

**Please REVIEW. It really helps keep me motivated to write when I know people are actually enjoying this story. Also, if you have any ideas for what you'd like to see happen in this story please send them my way. If I can make them work, I will.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all so much for your reviews! It really helped motivate me. Also, to the reviewer who asked if the night between Brooke and Lucas in New York had already it happened- yes, that occurred before Clay and Brooke met in this story. However, I have something coming up in the next chapter that I think you will like. Thanks so much for your suggestions.**

"Wow. So you guys dated?" Haley asked Brooke. After some considerably painful small talk between Clay and Brooke, Haley had pulled her into the kitchen to get an explanation of how she knew Nathan's agent.

Seeing Brooke's nod, Haley followed up with, "Was it serious?"

Again, Brooke nodded. "Really, that's all you're going to give me," Haley huffed. "Come on, Brooke."

"We dated. We broke up. What else is there, Hales?" Brooke shrugged.

It never ceased to amaze Haley how Brooke could tell you every vivid detail about one of her sexual encounters without even a hint of a blush and yet, when it came to speaking about a guy she cared about it—it was like pulling teeth to get anything out of her. Peyton always said that Brooke struggled with the big stuff on her own and Haley had come to find that to be true. And so, she decided to take a different approach.

"What kind of a boyfriend was Clay?" she asked. "I mean, I haven't known him long but I can't really picture him in a committed relationship. Was he a good boyfriend?"

Brooke's mind began to wonder back to their time together.

* * *

"I'm a terrible boyfriend," Clay grumbled to Millie. He had stopped by Clothes Over Bro's to drop off some paperwork regarding the Jeter deal and had hoped to get a chance to see Brooke, but she was gone to a lunch meeting at the Rainbow Room.

"Why do you say that?" Millie wondered slightly bemused at his pouting face.

"I can't even get my girlfriend to go on a date with me," he complained. Since Brooke and Clay had returned from his family's Christmas celebration, they'd both been so busy they'd hardly had a chance to spend any time together. Brooke was putting in a lot of hours finalizing her new line and Clay was spending his winter break working full-time at the sports agency. It was a very busy time for his agency since they were in the process of recruiting college football players as clients and preparing them for the NFL draft. They were both putting in long hours, but to make it worse their schedules seem to conflict. Brooke worked long hours during the week and Clay's busiest time was on the weekends.

"Clay, she's not avoiding you," Millie explained. "Victoria's been riding her really hard to get the line finished."

"I get that Millie," Clay conceded. "It's just we've barely spent any time together since we got back from Massachusetts. I've invited her out several times, but she keeps shooting me down. Either she's working or she's too tired to go out."

"Well, maybe you need to change your approach," Millie suggested.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Brooke always has people wanting her to go do something," she explained. "Maybe you need to try a different approach."

He took a minute to let Millie's words sink in, "you're a genius, Millie. I know what I need to do."

"Thanks, but what are you going to do?" she questioned.

"Don't have time to explain," he dismissed. "But, I'm going to need you to give me your key to Brooke's place."

Despite her doubts that this might a bad idea, she reluctantly handed him the key.

It was almost 8 p.m. as Brooke entered the elevator in her apartment building. She was exhausted. She'd been at work since 5 a.m. and she'd spent the entire day in absolute frenzy to get everything done. To top it off, Victoria had been very critical of much of her work making for generally crappy day. And now her feet were killing her and her stomach was growling. She wished she'd stopped to grab something on the way home as she knew there'd be no food in her apartment and now she was going to have to wait on some food to be delivered. The opening of the elevator interrupted her thoughts as she exited quickly to make her way into her apartment. When she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the candles were lit on her table and the wonderful smell of Italian food wafting through the air. And then she saw Clay walking out of her kitchen with plates in his hands preparing to set the table.

"What are you doing here?" she smiled.

"If Muhammad won't come to the mountain…" he shrugged setting the plates down and making his way towards her.

"You made me dinner?" she said wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Well, you needed to eat, and I needed to see you," he explained while bending down to kiss her.

"Mmm", she moaned against his lips. "I'm so glad you're here."

Her words made him feel like he'd just won the lottery. "Good. It's almost ready so why don't you go change into something comfortable and I'll finish up here."

"Sounds perfect," she said while giving him another peck.

She returned wearing yoga pants and a fleece top with a camisole underneath. Still sexy as hell, Clay thought.

"So, how did I not know my man could cook?" she asked while taking a seat at the table.

"Who says I can," he joked as he poured the wine for them. "Don't speak too soon, let's see how this goes."

The truth is he didn't have much experience cooking. He knew Brooke loved Italian food and his Mom was a master at making lasagna so he'd called his Mom and had her help him over the phone. Fortunately, the food had turned out quite well.

As they had finished their meals, Brooke plucked down on Clays lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you so much for dinner, Baby. It was delicious."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, "You're welcome, Babe."

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much," she apologized.

"Hey, I understand you're busy," he whispered. "We're both new at this being in a relationship thing; it may take a while to figure it out." He then grinned and added, "I mean so what if I'm a better boyfriend than you are a girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" she smirked.

"It's no big deal," he grinned. "Don't get me wrong you're good too. It's just like I'm the Michael Jordan of boyfriends and you're more like the Scottie Pippen of girlfriends."

"Huh," she responded. "So you're saying you're like an All-Star boyfriend?"

"Yep," he smirked.

"You're better than all other boyfriends?" she questioned. "Meaning you above and beyond the call of duty?"

"Yeah," he hesitated afraid he was walking into a trap.

"Well, then since you're the best boyfriend ever, I guess you won't mind watching Sex & the City with me will you," she said smugly.

And there it was. Game, set, match to Brooke Davis.

As they snuggled up in Brooke's bed watching the latest episode, Brooke couldn't help but think how nice it felt to end the day this way.

"Is that position even possible?" Clay interrupted her thoughts referring to the sex scene they were currently watching Samantha do.

Brooke quirked her eyebrow and rolled on top of him, "Let's find out."

* * *

"Best show ever," Clay panted after they'd just finished some mind-blowing sex thanks to Brooke's favorite show.

She laughed and rolled over to put her head on his chest. "This is really nice," she mused.

"I hope that was better than nice," Clay quipped.

"Not that," she said nudging him. "I mean this whole night. I had such a crappy day. But then I come home and you're here…and everything is better."

"Good," he smiled down at her. "I like being here. And I must say, if every night ends like this when I cook for you, consider me your new chef."

She giggled and kissed him once more. And they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms.

* * *

"So, you and Davis?" Nathan asked. While Brooke and Haley were in the kitchen, he and Clay had stepped outside by the pool and Nathan had started to interrogate his agent.

"Yep," Clay admitted.

"So, the whole time you were recruiting me to your agency you never felt the need to mention this?" Nathan griped.

"I didn't want my relationship with Brooke to have an impact on us working together," Clay explained. "I wanted you to pick me because you thought I was the best for the job. Not because I knew her."

"Or you were afraid I wouldn't sign with you if I knew that Brooke was one of your one night stands" Nathan argued.

"Hey!" Clay snapped. "It wasn't like that. I loved her."

He remembered the first time he thought that he might be in love with Brooke.

* * *

He was at a cocktail party hosted by his agency for current and potential clients. There were also many marketing reps from various companies who were scouting for potential endorsement deals and various other members of Manhattan's elite. Brooke had to work late (again) and so she was going to meet him at the party. None of his coworkers knew that they were dating or that he was dating anyone so tonight was going to be the big reveal.

He was standing around with a small group of his coworkers and Jamar Williams, the number one client they were trying to sign. Jamar had just mentioned that he was debating between signing with their firm or their rival IMG.

"You can't sign with IMG," Scott, Clay's coworker who was a bit of tool, whined. "Those boys can't win the big deals. They shrink in the spotlight."

"They seem pretty good to me," Jamar countered. "Besides fellas, their launch party had a lot more women, this place is looking a little like a sausage fest."

"If you want girls, we can get you some hookers," Scott offered.

Clay just shook his head at Scott's ineptness. Clay knew he was twice the agent as Scott but because he didn't have his agent's license yet he'd had to take orders from Scott. It was frustrating to say the least especially since Scott could sense how much better Clay was so he like to boss him around even more to exert his power over him. Clay's deal with Jeter had gotten him noticed with the owners of the firm and so he was considered a shining star and some of his coworkers resented that.

Jamar just scowled at Scott, "That's not what I meant. I just think man who has a way with the ladies, can talk his way into anything. And a guy who can do that is gonna be able to make the deals that get me paid."

"You want a guy who knows how to close," Clay commented.

"Exactly," Jamar nodded. "Like that guy Damien West, from IMG, that dude is always getting laid."

Damien West. Clay hated that douche. "That's only because he buys his way into their pants. Those women are sleeping with the Benjamins not Damien. He goes after women that are drawn to his wealth."

"Oh, really?" Jamar replied.

"Yep," Clay answered. "And unfortunately he won't be able to buy his way into getting you a contract extension."

"Who are you again?" Jamar asked.

"Clay Evans," he greeted. "I'm an intern here."

"Intern," Jamar laughed. "Interesting. Does your family have money?"

"What?" Clay asked confused.

"I'm wondering if you're rich," Jamar explained. "Obviously, you can't be making much as an intern. So unless your family has money, you're not able to shell out for the ladies."

"My family's not rich," Clay admitted.

"So poor Mr. Intern, you think you could pick up a woman here that we pick out for you and get her to go home with you—without buying her anything," Jamar challenged.

"Well, I didn't mean that…exactly," Clay responded. He was worried about where this was headed.

"Really, what happen to all that swagger you had a minutes ago?" Jamar taunted. "Let's test your theory. There is a fine looking honey who just walk in the door. Check her out- she's in the green dress."

Clay followed Jamar's gaze to see that it was Brooke. She'd just arrived, but had already been stopped by a few women she must know. She was wearing a short-green dress that hugged her curves. She looked stunning.

"Damn, I'd tap that so hard," Scott said drooling over Brooke.

It took all the restraint Clay had to not smack him.

"So, here's the deal Mr. Intern." Jamar challenged. "If you get that woman to leave with you, before I do, I will sign with your agency."

"Really?" Clay asked pretending to think over this challenge. He didn't want to tip his hand.

"Yep, but you have to wear a nametag that says you're an intern," Jamar added while picking up a nametag off the table to fill it out for Clay.

"I'll even give you a 10-minute head start," Jamar offered.

"10 minutes huh," Clay stated as patted the boys on the pack. "I only need two."

He strolled over to her. She had her back to them still talking to a few women. He stepped up behind her and tapped her arm getting the attention of the group. "Excuse me ladies, do you mind if I borrow her for a second?"

They smiled warmly at him as he pulled Brooke aside.

"Thank you, I was trying to get away forever," she sighed.

"Leave with me right now," Clay interrupted.

"What? I just got here." She said.

"I'll explain later," he dismissed in a rush to get her out of there before Jamar came over and realized that they knew each other. He did a quick glance over at the group of guys to make sure they weren't within hearing distance.

Brooke noticed his glance. "Did you make some wager with you could score with me?" she exclaimed.

"Not exactly," he mumbled. "I promise I will explain this and will make sure you don't end up looking bad, but I really need this for my career. AND if you leave with me right now, I will do that thing with my tongue that you love," he smiled.

She quirked her eyebrow and continue to think about his offer. She hated this macho crap, but at the same time he was always honest with her so she figured she could be a good girlfriend and help him out. Although, she was not going to let him get off that easy.

"If I do this, then you are going to tell me exactly why I had to leave," she demanded.

"Of course," he agreed.

"And you will make sure your coworkers don't think I'm a slut?" she clarified.

"Absolutely," he replied unable to stop himself from smiling. Brooke Davis was sexy as hell when she was negotiating. He found himself thinking that he could do the compromise dance with her for the rest of his life. He was falling for her.

"AND you're going to do that thing I love twice…and a half," she insisted.

"Done," he smirked as he placed his hand on the small of her back leading her out of the room—leaving Jamar and the boys to just shake their heads in jealously.

"Damn," Jamar whistled. "Mr. Intern's got some game."

* * *

It was a big day for Clay. He was signing his first official client. He would no longer be an intern. While he had yet to graduate, he'd been able to complete his certification so he could be his friend Corey's agent. Corey Jefferson had declared for the NBA draft and now they were going to celebrate. Corey's family was having a small reception for him at a hotel and they'd invite Clay to join them. While he knew Corey, he didn't know much of the Jackson family so he found himself alone by the hors d'oeuvres table.

"Hello, Clay," Corey's Mother, Vivian, greeted.

"Hi, Mrs. Jackson," he smiled.

"Call me Vivian," she replied. "That's a lovely suit dear."

"Thanks, Vivian," he answered. "Actually, my girlfriend gave it to me."

"Well, she has good taste. Is she here?" she asked.

"No, she's a fashion designer and it's New York's Fashion Week so couldn't make it," Clay explained.

"Oh, that's too bad. I would have like to have met her," Vivian mentioned.

Clay just nodded.

As Brooke watched the fashion show, her guilt continued to grow. She kept thinking about how she should be at the reception with Clay. Sure, he had told her that he completely understood that she couldn't be there, but she still felt bad. It was a once in a lifetime type of event—one that you never forget. She'd bought him a suit to try to ease her guilt. And that was probably what was making her feel worse. She did to Clay what her parents always did to her- give a gift to make up for their absence. And she knew it never did make up for it.

Millie looked over to see Brooke sulking and she knew why. "Brooke, why don't you leave?"

"What?" Brooke asked.

"I know you want to be at Clay's reception. Why don't you just go?" she stated.

"Um, because it's fashion week. I know you're new to the business Millie but this is kind of big deal," Brooke smirked.

"I know," Millie snapped. "But, your designs have already been shown. I can fill you in on the designs that are shown today and Victoria can network with the suppliers."

"Victoria will flip if I bail on this," Brooke mentioned.

"I'll cover for you," Mille offered. "She's so busy mingling she may not even notice you're gone and if she does, I'll just tell her you got really sick and had to leave."

Brooke considered this offer. It was highly likely Victoria would find out and she'd get in trouble. Fuck it, she thought. Clay is worth it.

"You're the best, Millie," she smiled. "I'm leaving."

She made her way into the reception hall hoping that everyone hadn't left yet. She was relieved to see there were some people still in the room, but she still didn't see Clay. All of sudden she felt herself being swept into a big bear hug not by Clay, but by Corey. Since they'd met, the two of them had become friends.

"Well, well, well… what did I do to deserve having a celebrity stop by my party?" Corey mused.

"You know me, I'm a sucker for a handsome man in a suit," she flirted making Corey laughed.

"Speaking of handsome…here I am," Clay interrupted smiling at the interaction between his friend and his girlfriend. Brooke rolled her eyes, but still greeted him with a kiss.

"What are you doing here?" Clay asked.

"You signed your first client, it's a big deal. So I moved some things around. Besides, I never miss a chance to see a guy as fine as Corey in a suit," she teased. But even her teasing couldn't remove the smile from Clay's face.

"You're looking fine as hell too, Davis," Corey chuckled. "Sure, you're still happy with this guy? I'm always available if you feel like trading up," he joked.

"Na, I think I'll stick with him," she said while pinching Clay's cheek.

Clay wrapped his arm around her and then mentioned, "So you're just in time for the second part of the evening. We're wrapping up here and then we were going to head out to Down the Hatch for the **real **celebration."

Down the Hatch was a favorite dive bar for NYU students. Clay's friends loved it for watching games and for playing foosball.

"So, Davis are you up for a night of drunken debauchery?'" Corey wondered.

"Always," she smirked causing both boys to laugh.

Several guys on Corey's basketball team and some other friends Clay joined them at the bar. They spent the evening drinking too much and playing foosball. Brooke and Clay turned out to be quite the foosball team as they managed to win almost every time.

"No fair, you brought a ringer, Evans," Corey teased referring to Brooke after he lost another round to them. Truth was Clay was a hell of foosball player, but Brooke had held her own too.

"Guilty," he smirked. "Just be glad we weren't playing pool or she really would of kicked your ass."

"It's true," Brooke added. "I love beating boys at bar games."

Clay took a minute to admire his girlfriend. Here she was in a fancy dress that she'd worse for the fashion show at a dive bar and she still managed to fit in. Hell, she'd even managed to beat them all at foosball while in heels. She was amazing.

Since Clay and Brooke had won, the other team owed them drinks. Will, a friend of Clay's, was headed to the bar to buy the drinks and Brooke offered to go help. However, one of Will's friends grabbed him to talk leaving Brooke alone at the bar. While she was at the bar, Clay noticed a few guys came over to hit on her. So he decided to make his way over to the group. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and murmured, "hey Baby."

She generally wasn't a fan of these "territorial gestures", but she was actually a little grateful because something about these guys made her nervous. They had been extremely pushy.

"Hey," she replied while turning to peck his lips.

"What's up?" Clay greeted the two guys.

"This is T.J. and Clint," Brooke introduced the two guys to Clay. "They didn't believe me when I said I had a boyfriend."

"So you're the guy huh?" T.J. asked.

"Guilty," Clay answered.

"You do realize that you're too hot for him, right?" Clint sneered as he looked lustfully at Brooke.

Clay just rolled his eyes not really phased by this drunken jackass' comment. But, Brooke, always one to defend a friend, jumped in. "Really, do you not know who he is?"

Both guys frowned clearly confused.

"He's Clay Fucking Evans," Brooke shouted the alcohol clearly affecting her. "He's the fastest rising sports agent in New York. He's also on the honor roll at NYU. AND he's incredible in bed."

Clay just shrugged as the entire bar had turned to look them.

"Okay, Tiger, I think you've had enough to drink," Clay announced while pulling Brooke away. "What you say we get out of here?"

After some quick hugs with their friends, Clay began to walk Brooke back to her place.

"Sorry, if I embarrassed you," Brooke murmured. He'd been quiet on their stroll home and she worried that her behavior had embarrassed him in front of his friends. She didn't know if by defending him she'd made him feel inferior.

"Are you kidding me?" Clay remarked. "Having you scream out in a bar that I'm incredible in bed was probably the greatest thing that ever happen to me."

"Really?" she asked as she made him stop walking and look at her. As Clay looked at her in the gorgeous dress she was wearing underneath the lights of the New York skyline he decided maybe this was the time to say something he'd been thinking about for a while.

"No," he said sullenly.

Brooke sucked in her breath worried that she'd screwed up.

"That wasn't the best thing that ever happen to me…meeting you was," he said smiling at her.

She smiled back and then started punching him playfully. "That was mean," she giggled. "I thought you were upset."

Clay chuckled and then grabbed her arms to stop her from hitting him, "hey, stop." He then left his arms wrap around her waist and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered looking into her eyes. "Thank you so much for coming tonight. I know you're probably going to get in trouble with your Mom."

"It was important to you," she shrugged. "I wanted to be here."

"You're amazing. I love you," he admitted. He'd felt it for a while, but had lacked the courage to tell her. And now he had. All that was left was to wait for her response...

**As always, please review. And if you have any suggestions for where you want this to go, let me know and I'll try to work it in.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've had some questions regarding the timeline of this story. Here's a breakdown:**

**Brooke first met Clay soon after the infamous night in New York she had with Lucas to celebrate his book being published. When she sees Lucas in this chapter, he is in town on his book tour. I'm guessing there would be about a year between signing the deal and actually selling the book.**

**When Brooke and Clay reunite at Naley's house it is between season 6 and season 7. The major change is Brooke dated Julian but didn't go to LA to tell him she loved him. Thus, she's single at that point.**

**All other questions about Clay's past including Sarah will be answered later.**

* * *

"I love you," Clay's words lingered in the air like the smell of rain after a summer shower. Ironically, for most women those words bring absolute joy, but for Brooke they just brought fear.

She was frozen unable to respond. And the silence began to be overwhelming to both of them.

He couldn't take it. "Well, I've clearly had too much to drink tonight. Just forget I said anything," Clay said trying to shrug off the hurt he was experiencing.

"Clay…," Brooke's voice cracked as she grabbed his arms to make him look at her. "I like you a lot. I'm just not… ready for that yet."

"It's too soon," He dismissed while trying to hide the pain of rejection he felt. "It was stupid…"

"It's not stupid," she argued and began to tear up. She could tell she'd really hurt him, which is the last thing she ever wanted to do. "I care about you so much."

"I know," he whispered while using his thumbs to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It's okay. It's too soon for you. I can wait."

"Really?" she doubted.

"Yeah," he answered. "You're worth it." He leaned down to give her a kiss. Despite her doubts that he was okay with this, she still gave him a small smile after the kiss.

"So are you coming up?" she asked motioning to her apartment.

"You know it's been a long day, I think I'll just crash in my own bed tonight," he sighed. "Is that okay?"

She knew it was just an excuse to leave, but she didn't want to push. "Sure," she answered.

"Okay, I call you tomorrow," he promised and gave her a quick goodnight kiss.

* * *

He still hadn't called. It was almost 5 p.m. and Clay had yet to call her. Unlike the majority of people in her life, Clay had yet to break a promise to her it was one of the things she liked most about him. If he said he would call, he would. And he usually called over lunch so they could make plans for the evening.

But he hadn't called today. She knew that he was hurting and probably trying to avoid her. She just wished he hadn't said those words. There was no going back now and she was afraid they wouldn't be able to move forward either. It was so frustrating. She currently taking out her frustration on her sketches.

"What the hell are you doing?" Victoria barked. "We need you to be reviewing the designs not drawing new ones."

"Relax, Mom I was just taking a break to do some sketching," Brooke dismissed.

"Don't tell me to relax," Victoria snapped. "Your head has been in the clouds for weeks now. Your work has been slipping ever since you started dating Clay."

"What?" Brooke exclaimed surprised that Victoria even knew they were dating. Brooke had avoided telling her much about their relationship out of fear she wouldn't approve.

"Look, I hadn't said anything at first, because it wasn't impacting your work and I thought you deserved a little fun—but now's it's becoming a distraction," Victoria lectured. "Don't think I don't know that you blew off fashion week to go hang out with him. And, today you've been a complete space cadet."

"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to have a life outside of work," Brooke snapped. "Don't worry though Mom you won't have to worry Clay impacting my work anymore."

"What?" Victoria asked in a much softer tone when she saw the pain in her daughter's face. "Brooke, what happened?"

"I think he's going to break up with me," Brooke admitted. She knew it was probably a bad idea to confide in her Mom, but she wanted so desperately to believe that their relationship was improving so she decided to anyway.

"Why?" she asked.

Brooke went on to explain what happened last night and how she'd been unable to say I love you. And now Clay had yet to call her probably because he was really upset and wanting to avoid her.

"Honey, you did nothing wrong," Victoria soothed. "You're only 20. You're too young to be tied down right now. If Clay doesn't get that, then he doesn't deserve you. Forget him."

"But, I care about him," Brooke argued.

"Sure you do, but that doesn't mean you're in love with him," Victoria countered. "Trust me you did the right thing."

Brooke just nodded. It felt good to have her mother's support, but she wondered if Victoria was just happy that she and Clay were breaking up.

"Brooke," Millie interrupted. "You have a phone call."

"Okay, Millie, I will get it in just a minute," she answered. "Thanks for listening, Mom."

"No problem," Victoria said while leaving to give Brooke some privacy.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Is this Brooke Davis?" Clay asked in a badly disguised voice.

"Yes, Clay it's me," she said relieved that he had finally called.

"I'm sorry Ms. Davis, but I believe you have me mistaken with someone else," he stated.

Deciding to play along with him, she replied "Oh really, so who am I speaking to?"

"My name's Bruce Wayne, Ma'am," he answered.

"What can I do you for you Bruce?" she asked not at all surprised his alter ego would be a superhero.

"I'm in need of some fashion advice," he stated.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, see I have a big event coming up," he explained. "My girlfriend is this incredibly talented fashion designer and she has a sneak preview of her line coming up. It's a fancy cocktail party with New York's fashion industry and I want to make sure I'm dressed appropriately."

Brooke couldn't contain the smile on her face. Minutes ago she feared she might not hear from him because it would be too awkward. And now, here he was, not only talking to her but in his own goofy way—asking to be her date to her designer showcase.

"Well, what were you thinking of wearing?" she questioned.

"I have a pinstriped suit and I'm wondering if I can wear stripped tie with it?" he asked.

"Well, a lot of people will say no, but if the stripes go in a different direction I think it's fine," she advised. "Besides, fashion is all about expression so you shouldn't feel trapped by rules. Fashion is fun, not rocket science. That said, I think you should wear your orange tie with it."

"Why's that?" he wondered.

"Because it will match my…I'm mean your girlfriend's dress," she mentioned.

"You know what my girlfriend is wearing… you're quite impressive Ms. Davis," he quipped.

"I think you're the impressive one, Mr. Wayne," she flirted.

"Oh yeah?" he asked with a smile.

"You're a brave man," she praised.

"Why's that?" he wondered.

"For making this phone call…for… not giving up her," she revealed both of them knowing that they were no longer joking.

"I'm the lucky one," he admitted making Brooke smile. "Besides, if life gets tough, I've always got a utility belt."

"That's right, Mr. Wayne you do," she giggled. "When am I going to see you?"

"How about I swing by your place later tonight and we watch movie?" he offered.

"That sounds perfect," she answered.

"Great, I'll see you in a couple hours," he replied.

"Okay," she agreed. "Clay?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks for calling," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Babe," he answered. "See you soon."

Brooke walked out of her office to see Millie and Victoria going over inventory. "I'm going to head out for the night ladies," she announced. "Millie, please put down Clay as my date for our sneak preview."

Millie smiled at her glad that Brooke seemed to be in a better mood. "Great," she said.

"I'm glad it worked out," Victoria offered.

"Thanks Mom," Brooke smiled thinking it was nice to have her mother on her side for a change. "Bye."

After Brooke left, Victoria asked Mille to get her the phone number of Derek Jeter's agent so she could make a call.

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since the "incident" as they were calling it (i.e. Clay saying I love you.) And they'd managed to move forward. It was still awkward but they were doing their best. And Brooke was frantically getting ready for her sneak preview show. Unfortunately, Clay was not able to attend her show as planned. There had been some kind of scheduling error and now Derek Jeter was shooting a commercial at the same time, which meant Clay had to work. Brooke was disappointed, but understood.

Finally the day of the sneak preview had arrived. She quickly fastened her earring and quickly made her way downstairs to the limo that Victoria was waiting in. When she opened the door, she was greeted with a surprise. Instead of Victoria, there was Nick Marshal an upcoming actor who'd recently starred in a big box hit action film.

"I'm sorry I must have the wrong car," Brooke apologized.

"Trust me Beautiful, you're in the right place," Nick flirted. "I'm your date for tonight. Victoria made the arrangements."

"Oh," Brooke said confused. "Could you excuse me for one second?"

Brooke stepped out of the car and quickly called her mother.

"Hello Darling," Victoria greeted.

"Mother, why did you send me one of the Nicks?" Brooke sneered.

"Well, I couldn't have you show up alone," Victoria explained. "Besides, he will bring great press to the event."

"Mother, need I remind you that I already have a boyfriend. I can't go out with this guy," Brooke snapped.

"Brooke, this is totally a PR move," Victoria lectured. "It's just business. Clay will understand me. He knows how this works. Don't worry about it."

"This isn't right," Brooke argued. "And I can't believe you didn't tell me about this."

"You're right I should of told you," Victoria conceded. "I'm sorry. But since Nick is already there and it's getting late…can't you just go along with it? I promise I will explain it to Clay."

"Fine," Brooke huffed and proceeded to get into the limo. The ride to the event took an eternity. Not only was the actor dumb he was also extremely flirty despite Brooke telling him she had a boyfriend and this was strictly a business arrangement. Once they arrived, Nick stepped out first and then reached out for her hand. He then refused to let go, putting Brooke in an awkward situation. She couldn't make a scene so she just smiled and cozied up to him for the pictures. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Clay quickly made his way into Brooke's event. He'd managed to get out early from Jeter's commercial shoot and he'd talked Millie into letting him backstage at the event so he could talk to Brooke before the show started. He spotted her across the room going over the last minute schedule details on a clip board. She had on an orange gown with a plunging neckline showing off her cleavage and a high slit on her left thigh revealing her shapely legs. She was stunning.

"Excuse me Miss," Clay quipped. "There's no smoking in here."

Brooke turned to see him and quirk her eyebrow, "Who's smoking?"

"You're smoking hot, Baby!" he exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes, but still smiled at him. "That was way cheesy… even for you, Evans."

"Give a guy a break," he said while reaching out to pull her close to him. "There's not been a word invented that would do justice for how gorgeous you look tonight."

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him, "What are you doing here?"

"I was able to get out a little early," he shrugged. "There's no way I was going to miss this."

"Thank you," she smiled giving him another kiss. "So, uh, don't get mad but, I kind of have another date tonight."

Thinking she was joking, he quipped "Is it one of your models, because I'm totally on board with that."

"No perv," she groaned. "My mother didn't want me showing up alone so she ambushed me with this actor guy. I swear I didn't want to. And it's strictly a business arrangement for PR purposes."

"So Victoria's pimping you out now," Clay snarled.

"Clay," Brooke sighed. "Please don't be upset. I promise you, I didn't know anything about this."

He was pissed mostly at Victoria, but also at Brooke for not standing up for herself. Still, when he looked into Brooke's pleading eyes he knew he had to let it go for now. This was her big night. He couldn't wreck it.

"It's fine, Baby," he conceded. "I know how she is."

"Really?" she doubted.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "Tonight is my girl's big night—I'm not going to let anything ruin it."

"Thank you," she grinned.

"Alright, now I'm going to get out of your way and go get a seat," he added.

"Okay," she smiled and pecked him again. "I hope you're not disappointed, I'm a little a nervous."

"Don't be," he argued. "If your models look even a fraction as good as you do, the show will be a hit." And with that he headed out to find a seat.

As he made his way into the audience, he happened to bump into Victoria.

"Clay?" she said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just wishing my girlfriend good luck," he snapped. "You know my girlfriend who you tried to set up on another date."

"Clay, come on you know how this business works," she dismissed. "It's all part of the game. Nick will get us some press. Don't be naive."

"Your daughter has a business—she's not the business," he snapped. "And don't think for second that I don't know you rescheduled the Jeter commercial to try to keep me away from here."

"What?" Victoria said startled that he'd figured it out.

"Look I didn't say anything to Brooke about that because for whatever reason she wants to have a relationship with you," he grumbled. "And I want her to be happy. But if you keep this shit up, you'll regret it."

"Don't be so dramatic," she told him. "I did this for you too you know."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"I like you, Clay. Really. You're smart and you have a great future ahead of you. But you're an intern for God's sake," she explained. "My daughter is the head of a multimillion dollar company. She's beautiful and famous. And she's notorious for avoiding commitment. She can have any guy she wants. Guys who can take her to Paris on a moment's notice. Guys who have their own jets. You don't even have a car. How long do you think it will be before she gets bored with you? "

"Brooke's not like that," he argued. "She cares about me."

"But does she love you?" Victoria countered knowing full well Brooke hadn't told him that yet. "Now excuse me while I go talk to our investors."

Clay knew Victoria was trying to get his head and so he tried to shake it off. Problem was everything she said were things he'd been thinking about lately.

* * *

The show had gone incredibly well. Brooke was now meeting privately with a few investors while everyone else mingled and sipped cocktails. It was during this time that Clay spotted Mouth.

"Mouth, how's it going man?" he greeted.

"Hey Clay," Mouth said shaking hand. "Thank God you're here."

"What's up man?" Clay wondered.

"I was in town tonight for another conference and Brooke insisted I come by," he explained. "When I get here she forces me to hang out with this actor guy Victoria made her come with. The guy's a real tool."

Clay couldn't help but laugh. He was glad Brooke was doing all she could to avoid the guy and loved hearing that he was a jerk.

"So where is this tool?" he asked.

"He went to the bathroom," Mouth explained.

The guys proceeded to small talk for a few more minutes when the actor returned.

"There you are Melvin, I thought I lost you," Nick mentioned as he walked up to the guys.

"It's Marvin," Mouth corrected. "This is Clay Evans… he's"

"I'm Brooke's boyfriend," Clay interrupted staking his claim on her.

"Oh, good to meet you man," Nick replied. "She mentioned she had a boyfriend."

Clay nodded somewhat relieved.

"Shame though, she's really hot," Nick added.

"Yeah, I'm a lucky man," Clay responded somewhat uncomfortably. He was not liking the way Nick leering at Brooke from across the room.

"Don't worry man, I have no interest in stealing her from you," Nick mentioned cockily.

"Uh, huh," Clay gritted getting more irritated.

"I'm not really the boyfriend type," Nick went on oblivious to how he was making Clay angry. "I mean so what if I bang her tonight. She'll come back to you tomorrow, right."

"What did you say?" Clay exclaimed.

"Look dude, I'm an actor. Chicks come onto me all the time. And tonight I'm sure Brooke will too, but you shouldn't let that bother you. I'll send her back to you in one piece. Though she maybe a little stretched out…"

Bam. Clay didn't let him get in another word before he punched him in the face knocking him to the floor. Nick's high pitched scream caught the attention of the room including Brooke who couldn't figure out what the hell had happened. Soon they were swarmed by a few people helping get Nick some ice, meanwhile Mouth had pulled Clay away from the actor before he could do anymore damage.

"Clay, what the Hell did you do?" Brooke yelled as she made her way over to her.

"He was being an asshole," Clay tried to argue.

"I don't care," Brooke interrupted. "How could you do this? How could you make a scene like this? Do you realize what you've done? No one is going to be talking about my designs now they're only going to remember Nick getting punched out. All our work for nothing."

"Look, I'm sorry," Clay apologized.

"I don't want to hear it," Brooke interrupted. "You need to leave."

"But," he argued.

"Clay, leave now!" she snapped and then walked off.

* * *

"I really fucked up man," Clay groaned to Mouth as they sat in a bar. Mouth had felt so bad for the guy and didn't want him to be alone so he'd agreed to accompany him to a bar. Clay had been drowning his sorrows for a good hour now.

"It happens," Mouth offered trying to make the guy feel better.

"I don't think Brooke and I are going to work out," Clay said the massive amount of alcohol he'd consumed causing him to spill secrets.

"Come on," Mouth argued. "Brooke's mad right now but you'll explain what happen to her and apologize. This will blow over. Trust me Brooke Davis has a thing for bad boys, you getting in a fight defending her honor is not the worst thing in the world."

"It's not just tonight, man," Clay countered. "She won't commit to me."

"What do you mean?" Mouth asked.

"I told her I loved her a few weeks ago, but she won't say it back," Clay answered sadly.

"Clay, I've known Brooke a long time and I can tell that she really cares about you," Mouth replied. "You can't read too much into her not being ready to say I love you. I mean considering what happened the last time she was in love…"

"What do you mean?" Clay asked.

"You know… the whole Lucas and Peyton thing," Mouth shrugged. And then he realized from Clay's look that the sports agent had no idea what he was talking about. "She didn't tell you?"

"No," Clay answered.

"Oh, well maybe she doesn't want you know," Mouth said worried he'd revealed too much.

"Mouth, you got to tell me what happened," Clay said desperately.

"Alright," Mouth agreed reluctantly.

* * *

The next day Clay was sitting in his apartment when Brooke stopped by.

"Hi," she said when he opened the door.

"Hey," he answered as he motioned her in.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you," she offered. "Mouth called me and told me what Nick said to you."

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Just so you know…I was not remotely interested in him," she explained.

"I know," he answered confidently. "I'm sorry I hit him and embarrassed you. And the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt your show."

"I know," she replied. "Victoria was able to smooth things over and keep it out of the press."

"Good," he mentioned.

They stayed silent for a few minutes not knowing how to proceed. It was then that Brooke noticed the copy of Lucas' book on the coffee table.

"Where did you get this?" she asked while picking it up. "

"Mouth gave it to me," he answered. Lucas gave him an advanced copy and he loaned it to me."

"I didn't know it was out yet," she mentioned. "Have you read it?"

"Yes, I actually stayed up last night to finish it," he said honestly. "It was a real page turner."

"Really. Am I in it?" she wondered.

"Oh, yeah," he offered. "That's why I read it. Mouth told me about the infamous Brooke- Lucas-Peyton triangle. I wanted to learn more."

"He told you," she cried.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "But what I want to know is why didn't you tell me?"

"I told you that I'd been hurt in the past," she defended. "I didn't think the details mattered."

"It didn't matter," he said raising his voice. "Your boyfriend cheats on you with your best friend and you didn't think it was worth sharing with me?"

"What did you want me to do?" she exclaimed. "Tell you my whole damn sob story."

"Yes," he snapped. "That's what people in a relationship do."

He picked up the book and held it toward her, "Don't you get it. You wanted Lucas to let you in. That's all I want too. For you to let me in," he pleaded.

Brooke felt a mixture of anger and sadness. She'd never wanted to hurt someone the way she'd been hurt but she also resented that he'd used that against her.

"What did you want me to tell you?" she asked her voice a mixture of sadness and anger. "That when I was a child my parents never spent time with me. They gave me credit cards to get out of their way. When I was 15, I was so excited the night I was getting ready for my first homecoming dance. My parents were actually home for once. It was such a great day my Mom was helped me get ready. And then, I came down the stairs so excited to show my Dad my formal dress. You know what he said. He told me it made me look thick and I should probably start dieting. Guys don't go for fat girls, he said. I was so crushed that night I lost my virginity to a senior I barely knew just because he told me I was beautiful. After that, rumors spread around school that I was slut. And so, I decided since they were going to call me that anyway I might as well embrace it. So I slept around a lot. But then one day I met a boy who was different. A boy who didn't just want me for my body. And so I start caring about him and actually let myself fall in love with him…and you know what happens…he cheats on me with my best friend. My best friend. Who up until that point had been the one person in my life I could actually count on. I was devastated. Eventually, I was able to move on and give them both a second chance. But again, they end up together and I ended up alone. So yeah, I didn't tell you about all this because I didn't want you to think of me as some pathetic slut, who can't make a relationship work because she's still not over something that happened in high school."

There it was. She'd laid it all on the line for him. With tears streaming down her face, she looked at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. She figured he probably pitied her. And she wondered how long it would be before he asked her to leave. There's no way he could still love her after everything she said, she thought.

"I don't think that," he answered shaking his head confidently. "Not at all. I think that you have lousy parents. I think Peyton is too selfish for you to consider her your best friend. And I think Lucas is an idiot for losing you. But, I'm so glad he did, because otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance with you. You're amazing, Brooke. You're one of the strongest people I know. You'd have to be to survive what you did growing up and still end up successful. And yet, you're not hardened by what you went through. You have the most generous heart. You'll go to the ends of the earth to help a friend out. When I look at you, I see a smart, talented, funny, kind, passionate and insanely gorgeous woman. There's absolutely nothing pathetic about you…that's what I think."

His words were so passionate and so heartfelt; she couldn't quite find the right words to respond to him. Screw words, she thought and wrapped her arms around so she could kiss him like there was no tomorrow. Clay responded immediately and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He carried her into his bedroom and dropped her on the bed quickly. Clothes were being flung off as quickly as possible.

Clay was so wrapped up in the moment he felt himself mumbling against her lips, "I love you so much, baby."

"Don't talk. Just kiss me," she whispered back. And that's what he did.

* * *

It had been about a month since the night of Brooke's sneak preview as they'd met up for lunch in a small pizza parlor. They were both still fighting their own insecurities. For Clay that was thinking he wasn't enough for Brooke and so she wouldn't commit to him. And for Brooke it was the fear of getting hurt gain. Since they were unable to solve these problems, they'd tried to just move on and enjoy the time they spent together. For the most part, they had done well with this. Until today, when Clay had noticed something was off about Brooke.

"What's going on Brooke?" he asked.

"Huh?" she wondered as she continued to pick at her slice of pizza but not really eat it.

"You've been quiet all through lunch," he stated. "What's on your mind?"

Brooke stewed a little more not wanting to tell him, but also feeling guilty for not. Finally, she decided to tell him, "Lucas called me today. He's going to be doing a book signing in New York this week and wanted to meet up."

"Okay," he nodded waiting for her to continue.

"I'm going to meet him and I just wanted to tell you," she finished.

"Alright," he answered.

"That's it?" she asked. "You're not mad?"

"Brooke, I get that you're still friends," he replied. "I only got upset about his book because you didn't tell me about it. I just felt like you didn't trust me."

"Uh huh," Brooke tensed as she chewed her lip.

Sensing her nervousness, he asked, "Is there something else? You seem to be a bit rattled for just seeing an old boyfriend."

"Well, the last time Lucas and I hung out there was an incident," she admitted.

"What happened?" he wondered.

She went on to explain to him what happened when Lucas came to New York to sign a publishing deal. She told him about how they'd been mistaken for an engaged couple, spent the night on the town getting drunk and ended up in Lucas' hotel room where he'd hit on her.

"So let me get this straight," Clay said slightly exasperated. "This guy proposes to his girlfriend and she says no. Then, the very next night he kisses you—her best friend. What the hell?"

"He was drunk…and hurting," she explained.

"Really?" he challenged. "Seems pretty fucked up to me."

"He can be a good guy," she defended. "He just loses his way some times."

"Sure," Clay doubted.

Ignoring his cynicism, she continued, "Anyway, you can see why I'm a little nervous about seeing him. Last time things ended so awkwardly and we've barely spoken since."

"Is he dating anyone?" Clay asked.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Hmm," he sighed while thinking a little more. "How about I come with you?"

"Do you really not trust me alone with him?" she accused.

"No," he argued. "I'm just saying I can help provide a buffer so maybe things won't be so awkward between the two of you. Besides, I'd really like to meet the famous Lucas Scott."

"Clay, I'm not sure that's a good idea," she worried.

"Come on, Brooke," he pleaded. "I'm your boyfriend; I should meet your friends. I promise I'll be nice."

Despite her doubts that this would go well, she found herself agreeing. Besides, she still had a great deal of insecurity when it came to Lucas Scott and it would be nice to have her boyfriend there to help ease that. And frankly, it would be nice to get to show Clay off.

* * *

They arrived at the book signing in time for the reading. Brooke had opted to stand near the back with Clay next to her. However, Lucas had managed to notice her presence while he was being introduced by the Book Store owner. As he made his way to the podium to begin reading, he made eye contact with Brooke and shared a smile with her that didn't go unnoticed by Clay.

"Good afternoon everyone," Lucas greeted. "Thanks for coming out today. I'd like to start by reading a chapter from my book an Unkindness of Ravens. Usually, I read the first chapter, but a good friend of mine is in the audience today so I'm going to read a special chapter just for her," Lucas said smiling at Brooke.

As Lucas continued to read, Clay kept glancing at Brooke to see how the words would impact her. He could tell that she still had some attachment to Lucas—how much he wasn't sure. All he knew is that he hated that Lucas still affected her. And he began to feel a mixture of anger and jealous toward the new author.

As she listened to the Lucas' words, Brooke couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. It was so surreal to have her past be told to the world—and to be listening to it with her boyfriend by her side. She knew Clay was watching her like a hawk and so she kept trying to keep her reactions at bay. She now realized it probably wasn't the best idea for him to come. It was awkward for him and her both to say the least. She was so relieved when Lucas came to the end of the chapter.

"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, beautiful and brave. In two years, she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday. And I'm not sure she even knows it," Lucas said closing the book and causing the audience to applaud.

Clay stared at Brooke's face trying to decipher the expression on her face. He wasn't quite sure what her look meant. Was she wondering what might have been between her and the blonde author or was a look of pain from remembering all he put her through. Clay couldn't tell. Regardless, it bothered him. However, now was not the time to bother her about that, he thought. So he decided to go with a different approach.

"He was right about that you know," Clay mentioned to Brooke.

"What?" Brooke asked his words breaking up her thoughts.

"You did change the world," he answered.

"Clay…" she smiled at his sweetness but doubted the statement.

"I'm serious, Brooke," he whispered as he moved in close to her. He placed his hand on her hips and looked down into her eyes.

"Clay, I make clothes, I'm not exactly curing cancer," she dismissed.

"Well, I think your clothes do make lots of insecure females feel good about themselves and you're a great role model for young women," he argued passionately. "But, if that's not enough for you—one thing's for sure… you certainly changed my world."

She smiled lovingly at his words and he responded by leaning down to kiss her. Just as their lips were about to meet a male voice called out, "Brooke Davis."

Clay turned to scowl at the person who just "lip blocked" him and realized it was none other than the famous Lucas Scott.

"Luke," Brooke grinned and walked over to hug the blonde. "It's good to see you."

"You too. Thanks for coming," Lucas answered as he looked over to Clay wondering who the guy was with Brooke.

Noticing his stare, Brooke spoke up, "Oh, excuse me. Lucas, I want you to meet Clay Evans…my boyfriend. Clay, this is Lucas Scott."

Clay couldn't help but grin at her words. It wasn't often that Brooke called him her boyfriend publically. She'd been cautious about using titles around other people. It made him feel good that she'd labeled him in front of her old flame. "Nice to meet you, Lucas," he said cordially while reaching out to shake his hand.

"You too," Lucas replied while shaking his hand. "So, how do you think it went?" Lucas asked referring to the book signing.

"Well, considering you read the chapter that was all about me, I'd say it went fabulous," she teased causing both boys to laugh.

"Come on writer boy, we can give you the full review at the restaurant," she commanded. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"I can't believe you acted like that," Brooke snapped as she stormed back into her apartment with Clay following her.

Dinner with Lucas had started off well enough with both guys exchanging pleasantries. But, as the evening wore on, Clay's grew more jealous of Lucas and started making a few snarky remarks. And when Lucas offered to pay for dinner, Clay had practically ripped the bill out of his hands and insisting that he would pay for it.

"I swear the way you grabbed the bill out of his hand was like a two-year-old fighting over a toy," she lectured.

"Well, I didn't need him to pay for me," Clay defended. "I can buy our dinner. I may not be some rich author, but I'm not a charity case."

Seeing Lucas try to pick up the check, had just reminded Clay of all his insecurities about not being good enough for Brooke. It was like Victoria's words about him just being a plaything that she would eventually outgrow continued to haunt him. And the fact that her ex-boyfriend was becoming a famous author, which made him more on Brooke's level than Clay just irritated him more. So when Lucas offered to generously pick up the check—Clay had snapped.

"It wasn't like that," she argued. "He was just being nice. Not that you really deserved it with some of the snide remarks you were making."

"Like what?" he shrugged.

"You insulted his book," she exclaimed.

"I did not," he countered. "I just pointed it out that it's a little odd for a work of fiction to use the actual names of real people. I mean if you're not going to change anything then call it an autobiography—otherwise change a few names. You know be a little creative, Mr. Author."

"You made fun of his eyes," she said incredulously.

"I was being nice offering him the name of an optometrist," he defended causing her to roll her eyes. "I mean you have to admit that guy squints a lot. I mean what is up with that?"

Despite her frustration, Brooke had to swallow a laugh at that remark. Lucas did have a tendency to squint too much.

"I just don't get how you can be so charming to guys you hate when you're at work. And yet, when we go out with my friends you can't get through one evening," she complained.

"Is Lucas your friend?" he challenged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"You guys just seemed a little cozy tonight talking about all your old times," Clay mumbled.

"So you are jealous," she stated as she recognized why he had behaved so badly. "Clay, I'm not into him like that. And if you couldn't tell by the way how disappointed he acted when he told us that Peyton didn't show up for his book signing in LA, he's clearly not over her yet."

"I'm not jealous of him" Clay argued. "I just don't like him."

"Why?" she asked.

"You can't seriously be asking me that," he alleged.

"Well, I know you're mad at me for not telling you about the whole love triangle from Hell in high school, but that's not Lucas' fault," she defended. "And he was very nice to you tonight."

"That's not it," he replied.

"Then why?" she wondered.

Clay sighed and then looked around her living room until he found a copy of Lucas' book. He started skimming through the book why Brooke watched him perplexed at what exactly he was doing. Finally, he came to the page he was looking for and handed it to Brooke. "Here's why."

Seeing her confusion, he added. "Just read it."

And she glanced down at the page he'd marked for her she realized it was from the night of the rain storm.

_Brooke: "There are 82 letters in here, all addressed to you. I wrote them all in the summer... But I never sent them to you because I was afraid..."  
_

_Lucas: "Brooke ..."  
_

_Brooke: "I was afraid of getting my heart broken again, like before... You hurt me so bad, I was afraid to be vulnerable. And I was afraid of you and the way that you make me feel. I know it doesn't matter now after what I did, but I thought you should know. This is how I spent my summer Luke, wanting you. I was just too scared to admit it." _

_Lucas: "Brooke, I am sorry. What you did with Chris... it's okay." _

_Brooke: "It's not, it can't be, it's too much to forgive. _

_Lucas: "Well… Too bad, because I forgive you." _

_Brooke: "You can't" _

_Lucas: "I just did, so you're gonna just have to deal with it. I am the guy for you Brooke Davis, and I know I hurt you last time we were together but ..." _

_Brooke: "I love you" _

_Lucas: "I love you too ... pretty girl."_

"You can stop reading now," Clay said interrupting her.

"I don't understand," she said.

"This guy cheated on you with your best friend and yet you forgave him," he explained. " You loved him…"

"Clay," she sympathized. "It was long time ago."

"But, it's still effecting you," he insisted.

"I'm not in love with him," she argued.

"Maybe," he answered quietly. "But you're not in love with me either."

"Clay, that's not fair," she said tearing up. "You know I care about you. Just because I said those words to Lucas doesn't mean that he's more important to me. Our relationship is completely different."

"Except, I'm paying for his mistakes," he argued. "You can't fully commit to you because you're so scared of getting hurt again the way he hurt you."

"And I thought you were okay with waiting for me," she answered. "Anybody can just say I love you. I want to make sure I mean it."

"It's not just about you not being about to say I love you," he dismissed. "You don't let me completely in. I've never met your father. Or Peyton. Or your Godson. And we go days without hanging out because of your job. And then I see all these rich and famous guys hanging around you. They can give you so much more than I can. How do I know that you won't just toss me aside one day? I mean if you don't love me, why would keep me around?"

"I can't believe you would think that," she exclaimed. "Do you think I'm that shallow? You know I care about you so much."

She was now fully crying. Seeing her like this broke his heart, so he reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"I know," he whispered. "Baby, I know."

He held for a few minutes both of them silent and not knowing how to proceed. Finally, he spoke, "I just don't think I can keep going on like this. I used to be the most confident guy in the room. Cocky even. But, now I get so insecure when I see other guys checking you out. I pick fights. And I embarrass you. I can't be that guy."

"I know," she mumbled. "So where does that leave us?"

"I think maybe we should take a break for a while," he mentioned. "I got offered an internship in California this summer. Your new line is launching soon. Maybe we just need a little time a part to get some perspective."

She knew what this really meant. There was no such thing as taking a break. This was a break up. And she didn't want that. And knew he didn't really either. But, she also didn't know how they could move on. And so she just nodded.

He pulled her into another hug—both of them reluctant to let go. As he was making his way to the door, he realized he still had Lucas' book in his hand. "Hey, Brooke."

"Yeah," she answered.

He said holding up the book and then tossing it on her couch, "For the record, Lucas was wrong about one thing. You're not just a pretty girl. You're a damn beautiful woman."

* * *

**I NEED YOUR HELP**. So, up until this point, I had the story pretty well mapped out. Now, I just have a few key moments in mind. This creates a potential for writers block and to go long periods without updating. Thus, if you could **REVIEW **to help keep me motivated that would be great. AND, if you have any suggestions for scenes you'd like to see between Brooke and Clay send them my way. I will do my best to include them. Please note the rest of the story will take place from the end of season 6 and on. Thanks so much for reading!


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